Way of the Shadow
by HyperLarri
Summary: What would happen if Kyubi was not sealed into Naruto and was defeated outright by the Fourth Hokage? He was reborn as a human. Plz read and review. T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

Notes:

I'm not sure about this but are Anbu or Jounins higher in terms of rank? In this fic, I made it so that jounins are higher.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Crimson Shadow: **

I heard the sounds of metal clashing, people dying and screaming. The battle had begun. However, I was not to be in it. I was a ninja, a _shadow_. While there are ninjas that choose to be loud, obvious and simply overflowing with power, one must not forget that a ninja can strike with stealth and speed. Before me, I saw a castle, one that was heavily guarded. However, such guards should be nothing to a ninja that struck from the shadows.

My name is Kyu. I am 13 years old, extremely young to be a fully-fledged _jounin_. However, there is more to me then meets the eye. At first glance, I am a 13-year old teenager with spiky red hair and a striking resemblance to the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. However, when you glance again, you will notice that I emit an unsettling aura and something seems strange about me. If you happen to look a third time, I would probably be gone from your gaze and my knife next to your throat.

I suppose you have heard of Kyubi, the great Nine-tailed Fox Demon. If you know of it, then you will certainly know about how it attacked the Hidden Leaf Village and caused much destruction. Most likely, you would also have heard about how the Fourth Hokage fought it and defeated it. However, what you definitely do not know is that the Kyubi still exists. Its power is not lost and at the moment of its death and defeat, its form was changed, the power compressed into the form of a human. On that day, I was born, as the reincarnate of the Kyubi.

You are probably thinking me as some sort of psychotic teenager with a demon inside of him. You may be imagining me, going on a rampage and killing whoever and whatever I see. Maybe you will fear hearing the news of a demonic teenager suddenly killing thousands in one night. Sorry to disappoint you, but as a human, Kyubi is far less violent. For a human, I probably still seem dangerous and violent but hey…it's not bad for someone who was once a demon.

At my birth, the Fourth Hokage carried me to an orphanage and there, I grew up. My childhood was not exactly perfect as the other kids all sensed something strange about me, even if they did not know what it was. As a result, I was pretty much left alone. Perhaps not out-rightly despised (they did not throw rotten vegetables or taunts as I walked past) but nonetheless, I was treated in "special" way. Nothing changed when I entered into the academy. However, after I passed on the first try and became a _genin _at 8, people began to take an interest in me. When I became _chuunin _at the age of 11, people were whispering among themselves. When I entered into an _Anbu_ team at 12, I was a child prodigy. I was selected to become a _jounin_ in the same year and at this, many feared that I had become the next "Uchiha Itachi" who had also excelled at this speed, if not faster.

However, I have not revealed any evil tendencies and I certainly did not kill my entire clan, I had none after all. I simply continued with taking mission after mission and slowly, I became trusted. I also knew that the Fourth Hokage was watching from afar, taking note of my progress. He would be interested…as he was technically the one who created me. Perhaps it would be also proper to call him my Father.

Anyway, back to the mission. I was infiltrating the castle and our target is the Lord of the castle, who has been undertaking violent acts of war in the area. My team, including me, consisted of three _jounins_ and all of us were ex-_Anbu_. One of them was Ryu, a twenty-something, almost thirty by the looks of him, years old ninja. He wore the customary _jounin_ uniform and he had a sword hung on his back. He had a mask on that concealed his face but he wore his fore-head protector over his forehead, accompanied by a pair of sunglasses that hid his eyes. My other team-mate, Minoko, was a bit younger and female. She had long blond hair that she tied into a bun for missions. She wore her fore-head protector as a hair-tie and she had bright blue eyes.

We leaped from tree to tree and neared the castle walls. Ryu lead the attack and I observed from behind. Ryu was adept at stealthily attacking his enemies and these guards were not alert enough. Ryu sneaked up on two patrolling on the castle wall, side by and side and struck. His blade swept out noiselessly and one was down, falling down our side of the wall, blood flying out from his slitted neck. Before the other noticed his companion was dead, Ryu put a hand over his mouth and jammed his hand into the guard's spine, dislodging one of the vertebrae, leaving the guard's spine useless and the guard was dead.

His movements were silent but the fall of the guard was not. Quickly, he pushed the body over the side and it fell onto the first guard's lifeless body. He flipped over the side and hang there with one hand. A guard came to investigate where the missing guards were.

I whispered to Minoko, "Now it is our turn."

I leaped down from the tree and ran across the grass to the castle wall. I scaled it easily and I felt Minoko right behind me. I leapt onto the battlements and faced the shocked guard who had come to investigate the whereabouts of the missing guards. Before he shouted to sound the alarm, my blade passed through his stomach and I swang my right leg in a circle and kicked him from his right, sending him tumbling down into the darkness, outside the castle. The body heap piled to three. I remembered that Minoko often favoured aggression over stealth and I turned my head to her position. Minoko had climbed up the nearby tower and I looked over and saw two bodies fly out of one of the windows, one headless and the other in half. The assault had begun.

There was a battle going on near the gates. There, the lord of the castle was fending off rebels. This attack was the perfect opportunity for my assault. We leapt down into the shadows and made our way to the keep. As one ninja, we scaled the walls, passing all the way to the top. Once on the roof, I bent over the side and hang upside down to look into the windows. The room was empty. I slipped in and the others followed my lead. I crept towards the door, opened it to a slit and peered through. The hallway was well lit and there was a guard at the end. At the moment, he was pacing from my side of the hallway to the opposite. As he came up to the door, and turned around, I unsheathed my sword halfway. I held it in front of me, leapt froward and swung the exposed blade over the guard's head, down pass his face and onto his neck. I pulled and blood spurted out. I pulled and his body came with me, into the room.

Ryu rushed forward and Minoko right behind him, checking the other rooms of the hallway. I hid the body and heard the sounds of Minoko and Ryu eliminating other guards. They came out of the rooms, their blades and hands dripping blood. I walked forward, reached a flight of stairs and went down. Suddenly I saw the shadows of two guards coming up. With no time to run back up and hide, I used an invisible spell. Minoko and Ryu run back up and hid in the rooms. I waited until the guards were right in front of me. Instead of reaching for my sword, I unsheathed my two knives and slit them both. They fell to the ground, lifeless. My invisible spell wore off and my body appeared in a wisp of smoke. I was still have not fully mastered it…it usually lasted one full minute, not thirty seconds.

I came to a door and beyond it was a well lit room, with the sounds of laughter and food being consumed. I guessed there were five of six guards in there with some innocent people in there as well. My team-mates were older and however talented I was, they had one thing I could not obtain without more time: experience. I motioned for them to rush in and kill the guards and knock out but not kill the innocents. I stepped back and they drew their blades. I opened the door and they rushed in. I heard weapons being drawn and some shouts that were cut short. I heard things being thrown about and smashing on the floor. Then everything stopped.

While this was going on, I managed to kill three guards that came to investigate. They came running from where we just came, noticing fresh blood marks on the floor and that guards were missing. I leapt up and clung to the roof. The first two went past under me and I let fall myself and hit the third guard, planting my feet on his shoulders and bending over and slitting his throat with a shuriken and then threw the shuriken at the second guard, hitting him in the back of his neck. I leapt from my first victim and came at the remaining guard, before he fully turned around. My two knives went into his heart and his neck. He fell a bloody mess and slumped onto the floor. I really do need more training; it took me five seconds to accomplish the kills. It should have taken me three.

I went into the room and Minoko nursed a slight cut in his arm while Ryu held his hand onto his leg, where a lucky guard had stabbed him. I looked at them and they returned hazes that told me they would be fine and that we should continue. I moved to the other door, opened a fraction and looked. I smiled, we had reached our target. I finished it myself. Instead of my knives or my sword, I used my katars. Later, Minoko and Ryu described the next moment as a whirlwind of blades. I kicked the door open and leapt inside. I stabbed a guard in the neck and slit another's throat before I landed onto the table, right in front of the target. He looked up and my arms moved fast, stabbing and slicing again and again. Later, I looked back and saw myself doing an unnecessary over kill. The target fell with a mutilated body.

"Let's go," Ryu ordered, as I cleaned my katar blades on the dead person's shirt.

I opened a window and leapt out, falling into the night. I landed on the veranda, hearing Minoko and Ryu right behind me. I leapt down from level to level, until I reach the bottom. We ran through the shadows and came to the stable. As an end to a successful mission, Minoko sent the horses on a rampage. With this diversion, we scaled the walls, leapt over the side and passed into the shadows of the forest. The soldiers will have a lot more problems in the morning, more than just the aftermath of a rebellion.


	2. Chapter 2

Note:

This chapter does not have any action in it but the next one will. This one just furthers the story.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.

**Sensei!**

I wearily made my way to my apartment. I had moved here when I began training at the Academy and lived here since, with another 13 year old teenager. It was four in the morning and I made my way straight home, after enduring comments from my team members about how "little kids need their sleep". I was too tired to try and make them take those words back and as I walked away, I could not help but laugh at the irony of it. I had vague memories of when I was Kyubi and one thing I was certain of: Kyubi never slept and was constantly in a rampage.

However, as a human, a young one at that, I began to see sleep as a necessity. I opened the door and was greeted with the snores of my roommate: Uzumaki Naruto, probably the loudest ninja in the village. We were the same age and I also saw in him some resemblance to the Fourth. However, all the similarities stop there. While I was withdrawn, quiet and all-around unfriendly, Naruto liked to be the centre of attention, or at least try to be. I was not sure what happened to his parents and he never spoke of them. However, the Fourth came up to me when we were 7, just when I joined the Academy, and insisted that we live together. Today, I am still not sure why, as his snores were still heard in the next room.

However, I did spur him on to aim to become a good ninja. He had joined the Academy at 10 years of age but has already failed three times. He envied me, at some point, but then he began to develop a sense of determination. I have no idea about where he found his resolve; perhaps this was just the way he is. He once told me that he wanted everyone to acknowledge him. I have no idea why. Perhaps it was because he never had praise from a parent or perhaps because he was the lowest in his class.

I went to sleep, images of the earlier mission still being played in my head, the Kyubi side of my mind, the destructive side, playing each image over and over again, discovering the mistakes and thinking of ways to correct them. To the people around me, I was an efficient killing machine. It was as if every moment I spent lead to perfecting my killing techniques. I thought of myself as someone entirely different to Kyubi but nonetheless, his state of mind still affects mine. Maybe there was a reason why Kyubi was born a demon and not a human. Maybe nature intended for such power to never be in the hands of human but only in that of a demon. A human, to have such power and hatred, was dangerous. I guess something like Kyubi's power was put in a demon so that it would always be out of reach for a human. So why did I possess such power? Am I meant to wield this? Or was I…a mistake?

The next day, I walked into a meeting for _jounins_. Needless to say, I was easily the youngest there. I looked around. All the adults were chatting with each other and somehow, I was excluded. The Fourth told Konoha that Kyubi was destroyed and in a sense, that was true. However, its power still remained. None of these ninjas knew that I held such power but nonetheless I was different because of my age. I leant on the back wall and sighed. I guess there was nothing to do but wait until this thing was over…

"Hey!" a voiced greeted. "Kyu, what are you doing here, standing all alone?"

"Yeah, kids should be socialising," another voice joined in.

I turned my head and caught sight of Ryu and Minoko, my two team-mates for last night. Since we were not in battle, they were dressed differently and the feeling they emanated was correspondingly different. In battle, Ryu hides his features and is intimating in that he gives you an uneasy feeling, like you do not what to expect from him. However, out of battle he wears only his forehead protector. His face is uncovered to reveal a wide smiling face. If you compare two images of them, next to each other, you would not expect them to be the same people. Minoko, however, is straightforward on and off the battlefield. In battle she ties her hair to get it out of the way but that is the sole difference. She has an aggressive nature, whether in battle or not. Cross her and there will trouble.

Ryu came over and placed is palm on the top of my head, emphasising the size difference between us. He never means any harm but he knows this really pisses me off.

"You're bored, aren't you?" he asked, cheerfully. "Don't worry, why don't you go outside and play now? I'll report to you what you need to hear…"

I glared at him in return.

"…or else you can just tag along with us," Minoko added. "We won't mind having a brat with us, as long as you keep your mouth shut."

"What makes you think I want to hang around with a bunch of old people?" I replied, unable to keep silent any longer. "Why don't you guys go play bingo or something?"

"Why you little…I'm only twenty!" Minoko growled.

"Twenty-six…" I said. "Already lying about your age…"

"Take that back!"

"Make me!" I returned and walked away.

"All right…"

I sensed an increase in chakra and I turned around to see Minoko rush up to me, her fists ready. I side-stepped her and her blow missed me. The meeting room was pretty big and the crowd gave us ample room to move about, as they were probably bored like I was. Minoko's long blond hair whipped through the air as she pursued me. I had no idea why I was running, when I could easily fight back. Maybe I was just need to move my legs a bit but it was probably because this would annoy her more. I guess the cheeky side of a fox was showing through. Even with it sealed within me, the Kyubi was still capable of affecting those around me. Naruto turned out to be a great trouble-maker and prankster. There were times when Ryu and Minoko acted really cunningly and got themselves out of guard duty or boring missions.

We leapt across the room. We were holding back but you would still have to strain your eyes to catch our movements through the air. Suddenly, I felt something grab the pack of my shirt and I was suddenly dangling in mid-air. I turned around, wondering how Minoko caught me so easily and saw the face of Gai, smiling wide.

"Ah…the energy of youth…" he said, almost dreamily. "However, this is hardly the time and place, wouldn't you say, Kakashi?"

"…hn…"

I turned to see Hatake Kakashi, one of the most famous ninjas in Konoha. Famous for his _sharingan _and how he copied 1000 _jutsu_, he was truly a genius.

"Let go of me…" I said, calmly.

Gai let go and I dropped to the ground, landing on my feet. Gai was extremely fast so I did not sense him come up to me. However, I promised next time I will not let my guard down.

At that moment, the Fourth Hokage walked in, followed by his predecessor. His eyes scanned the room, as if looking for something. He caught sight of me and I swear there was a slight smile on his face before he turned his eyes to the crowd.

"Alright, as you know, a new batch of Academy Students just passed their exams and now they need to be assigned to a _jounin_ sensei," he announced. "That is why we are here."

I raised my eyebrow. Surely he did not expect me to be teaching people at the same age as me. Even if I could tolerate them, they would not respect me as they would respect the others, however strong I am. Ryu looked sideways at me and caught my incredulous expression.

"Don't worry," he whispered to me. "If you get assigned any students, I think they won't be as annoying as you were…"

I glared at him and whispered back, "Annoying? I saved your life…once…"

"I was drunk…" he whispered, shrugging. "And we weren't even supposed to be there but then you insisted that we help out that mission…"

When I was _genin_, Ryu was my _jounin_ sensei. Along with another guy and a girl, we were Team 8. I became _chuunin_ three years later but only because my team-mates were not ready and we did not work together good enough. Ryu did not believe we would survive, as every member of a team in the _chuunin_ exam was important. However, as time passed, we worked well together but we never became friends. At least, not close friends. My two former team-mates are still _chuunin_ and one of them teaches at the Academy.

There was one time when we were not assigned any missions but I overheard the Fourth talking to another team about a difficult one and they were welcome to ask for assistance from another team. Then, one of the ninjas in the team, a _genin_ who in my class when we passed, pointed at me, indicating that I should come along. I was very noticeable, as I was just 10 years old at the time. Soon, I found myself leaping across Konoha, trying to find my team-mates. I found one of them sleeping in a tree, another in a library and my sensei, Ryu, was in a bar. He was slightly drunk but he covered it well and went on the mission anyway. In this state, he was not as alert and there was one time when an enemy sneaked up on him, attempting to stab him, but I saved him.

"Will you two shut-up…?" Minoko commanded.

I met Minoko when we were _Anbu_. She thought I was a prankster who had snuck in and tried to kick me out. However, when I struck back and ended up defeating her, we started to get to know each other and eventually ended up on the same team. She acted like an older sister, when was always trying to look out for me. I later found out that she did this because her older brother and sister were killed when Kyubi attacked Konoha and she missed a sibling relationship. I could not help but feel a stab of guilt and from then on, I guess you can call us friends.

I turned my attention back to the Fourth, who was reading out the teams and who was assigned to them. I perked up when I heard Naruto's name. So that idiot, after failing three times…finally passed. Well I guess I will come back to an overly hyperactive _genin_ tonight…What was more interesting was that Uchiha Sasuke was assigned to his team and also Haruno Sakura, the one Naruto had some sort of feelings for. I guess it was safe to assume that Team 7, commanded by Hatake Kakashi, is going to have some interesting moments. Anyway, I heard that Minoko was assigned a team but she will probably fail them. She has very high standards…

However, when I heard Team 11 being read out, the sensei in charge of them was none other than me. I narrowed my eyes when the Fourth looked at me and held out some paper that had the team's information on them. I grudgingly took them and retreated back to where Ryu and Minoko were. I read through the info and realised that I had an entire team of girls. Also, they were all fourteen, one year older than me. This was going to be annoying…

I walked into the Academy the next day, with Minoko beside me. She was grumbling about having to lead a bunch of "brats" when she already had one in her team.

"Hey…at least they're not older than you…" I grumbled back.

"Huh?" she said, looking at me, realisation dawning on her face. "Your subordinates are going to be older than you!"

She laughed loudly, her previous bad mood evaporating at the opportunity to annoy me.

"Shut-up," I shouted back. "This is annoying enough as it is…Having three girls in one team…this is going to ten times worse than you…"

"Three girls!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Well…have fun! Maybe you can even get a girlfriend out of this. Just remember you guys "senior" and "junior" in terms of command."

"Shut-up," I replied.

She wandered off to where she was meeting her team and I walked into mine. Before I even arrived to it, I heard girls shouting and laughing. I gritted my teeth and slid open the door. Immediately, my eyes saw something flying towards me. Before I even recognised it as a text book, my hand flew out and caught it. I raised my eyebrow and looked at the three girls in the room. One had green hair, another had blue hair and the final one had silver, grey hair. They all wore all it long and untied.

"You guys have a really strange way of greeting someone," I said, lowering my arm.

Two of the girls, both standing up, were standing, facing each other, as if they were duelling. The third girl, the one with grey hair, was sitting at one of the desks, almost falling asleep.

"Ah, sorry…!" the blue-hair girl said, rushing up to me.

As I recalled from the list, her name was Mizu.

"Next time, watch what you're doing…in a real life situation, killing one of your team-mates is probably a disadvantage," I retorted.

"Team-mates…?" she wondered out loud, taking the book from me.

She looked at my fore-head protector, then looked at my uniform and finally back at my face.

"YOU'RE OUT SENSEI!" she screamed.

I raised my eyebrow.

"_Jounins _are usually sensei for genins so, yes, I am," I replied.

Mizu's jaw dropped and behind her, the green-hair girl, Yuki, simply stared. The final girl, Mika, opened one eye and then closed it again. What kind of team am I getting myself into…?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Elemental Battle:**

As I stood still and allowed my new potential subordinates to take in my image, I began to realise several things about human girls.

1: They can be scary.

2: They can be violent.

3. They can be annoying as hell.

As they whispered among themselves and glanced at me, I wondered what on earth the Fourth was thinking when he turned me into a human. If I was still a demon fox, I am sure that these three will be running screaming now and…

"HEY! "SENSEI"!" Mizu yelled out.

I glanced at her and raised my eyebrow as a query.

"This is a joke isn't it? Stop trying to pick us up by trying to be our sensei!"

"Yeah! We're serious about becoming ninjas!" Yuki added.

"…" Mika.

You know, I am starting to like Mika.

"Kid, do you even have what it takes to be a ninja?" Mizu said.

Kid! I am a "kid" with images of 100 people dying at once playing in my image. I doubt that they can boast that much…

"Even if you're only one year younger, you're no match for us!" Yuki taunted.

Those two were really starting to get on my nerves…

"Get out of here, stupid idiot!" Mizu nearly screamed.

When I stood, as still as ever, she rushed forward, raising her fist, in an attempt to scare me away. I raised my eyebrow, as her movement seemed remarkably slow and awkward to me. I twisted to the side, as her fist sailed harmlessly passed me. I grabbed it with my left hand and placed my right one, under her chin, with my fingers aimed at her neck. Her eyes widened in shock, clearly displaying that she had not anticipated or even saw my movement at all. She struggled but my hand on her arm was too strong and then I pointed with two of my fingers and poked her forehead, forcing her to stumble back a few steps. She raised her eyes and stared, wordlessly, as if she could not comprehend what just occurred.

I turned to face them and Yuki charged forward, getting really annoyed. I rushed forward, slipping past and behind her. Before she even realised where I was, I grabbed her arms, pinned them behind her back with one hand and held her shoulder tightly with my other.

I bent forward and whispered into her ear, "Never mess with a _jounin_, or else you'll die."

I felt her body shiver and I released her.

Finally, I heard Mika's voice.

"Ah…Kyu-sensei, what happens now?"

I looked towards her, as she stared back at me. There was not a trace of disrespect in her eyes, nor was there any fear. All I saw was a young female ninja who wanted to learn. The others were looking at me with awe and fear but I suppose that was acceptable. It was not every day when a 13 year old beats you and you did not even see it coming.

Eventually, we made it outside and I heard Kakashi talking to one of the other _jounins_ about "working together as a team" and "getting to know each other". When I remembered my first meeting with Ryu, as _genin_ to a _jounin_, he was drunk. As I recall, he was a hopeless drunk, as hopeless as Kakashi was with his special book. He spent the first two minutes hitting on the girl in our team before he finally realised he was our sensei and tried to compose himself (as much as someone drunk can). After that, we pretty much talked about random things and got to know each other's personalities, likes/dislikes etc.

Well, my new subordinates were too afraid to talk to me, or in Mika's case, simply not talkative. I did not really have anything to say either…until…

"Hey, Kyu-sensei," Mizu asked, timidly.

Another thing about human girls: their outward image can change in an instant. Just a moment ago, she was attacking me and now, she can barely find the courage to ask a question.

"Yeah?"

"How…how did you become a _jounin_ at your age?"

That stopped me. I knew exactly why: Kyubi. However, having a destructive and feared demon sealed inside of you was not what I had as an idea of casual talk.

"Just something I was born with, I guess," I replied.

"Who were your parents?" Yuki asked, getting interested.

I shrugged in answer and replied, "I grew up in an orphanage."

"Oh…I see…"

Hmm…at this time, if Ryu was in charge of this team, he would be hitting on one of the girls now…so I guess that means I do not have any past experiences to look back on for help… humans are annoying…

I left them with instructions that we will meet again tomorrow, for a test of their strengths. I will probably pass them, unless they are so weak that they can not even handle mowing someone's lawn, because I do not want to go through the process of receiving and meeting another team. I know the Fourth will not let me off until I accept the responsibilities of leading a genin team. As I entered into my apartment, I realised that things could be worse. I looked around and saw Naruto dancing around, waving his forehead protector with glee. When he noticed me, he only got more energetic.

"Hey Kyu!" he greeted.

"Hello, Naruto…"

"I'm finally in a team!"

"Yeah, your sensei is Kakashi, right?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, clearly excited about becoming a ninja and taking missions.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be getting some sleep for tomorrow?"

"No way!"

"…"

"Ramen! Ramen!"

Oh yes…Naruto has a passion for ramen. I have no idea what he sees in them but I heard that he likes to eat bowls and bowls of it, with Iruka, his teacher. Well…former teacher now but…

"Hey, hey…Kyu!"

"What?"

"Can you teach me some jutsus!"

"…why? Kakashi will handle that…and didn't you get a look at that Forbidden Scroll? You learnt something from it, didn't you?"

"Come on! There's this bastard named Sasuke and I have to beat him!"

Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke? Naruto's definitely got taste when it comes to picking rivals…

"Just get some sleep, you idiot…"

Naruto already left before I even woke-up in the morning. I changed into my uniform and walked into the kitchen. That idiot…there were two instant ramen bowls on the table and also the carton of expired milk I was planning to throw out. He is seriously going to kill himself if he does not start eating properly…Shaking the thought from my head; I focused on my meeting with my subordinates and left my apartment. I leapt along rooftops to save time and along the way, I met Kakashi. I found him, lazing about near the statue that had all the fallen ninjas' names engraved on it. I know he was meeting Naruto and the rest of his team nearby but…what was he doing loitering about here?

I landed next to him and he looked up.

"Good morning, Kyu," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. "Naruto is waiting nearby, you know."

"Oh yeah…well…I guess its time to meet him and the others for their test…"

"By the way, how do you plan to test them?"

He then explained to me about forcing them to work as a team by making them steal two bells from him. Interesting but I prefer to do it in a much faster way.

I reached my own team, just outside Konoha. I decided to test them in the plains outside the city, where there was plenty of space.

"Good morning, Kyu-sensei," they greeted, as I approached.

"Yo. Well…should we get started?"

"Um…Kyu-sensei, how…what are we going to do?" Mizu asked.

"Are you going to…test us on jutsus?" Yuki asked.

"No." If they did past the test, it would be my role to teach them jutsus.

"Test our physical capabilities?" Mizu asked.

"No." It is also my role to instruct them in training their bodies.

"Make us do activities that test our team-work?" Mika asked.

"…" Close, but not quite there.

"Well, what are we going to do, then?" they shouted, annoyed.

"You three," I said, pointing to three of them in turn. "Are going to attack me in whatever way you can and if you are able to land a hit, you pass. However, if you fail to land a direct hit, you fail. Any questions?"

Their jaws dropped and their eyes went wide.

"I'll take that as a no so let's…"

I suddenly felt an increase in _chakra _and a fist swung straight towards my face. I stepped back and knocked it to the side. Mika had rushed forward as soon as I finished the word, "let's" and attacked, hoping to catch me off-guard. By this time, the other two had snapped to their senses and moved to attack me. Well, it is nice to know these people did not waste time. Maybe we will get along after-all.

All three of them surrounded me and threw punches and kicks but they were too slow and I blocked them all. Eventually, they figured out that they will just tire themselves out so they leapt back and prepared to attack in a different way. I looked around, waiting for the first attack. It came from Mizu, who always seemed to the hastiest and most aggressive of them. She formed some hand-seals, ones that were well practiced, and focused her _chakra_. She must be pretty good, to have a jutsu under her armada already. She finished her hand-seals and she took out a scroll. I caught the symbol for water on it before she opened it.

"Take this! _Watery Serpent no-jutsu_!"

A serpent made of water materialised from the scroll and flew at me. As it rushed to attack me, I dodged to the left and let it flew past me. However, as it did, it started to curl around me, attacking me from all sides. I leapt up into the air, at the same time drawing three kunai in each hand. The serpent ceased curling around and sprang up to attack. I flung all six of my kunai straight into the serpent but the blades passed right through. However, the kunai managed to break apart the serpent and the water splashed onto the ground, separated from its serpent formation. I landed and faced the other two, while Mizu was still recovering to launch another attack. Yuki had not been idle and she attacked just as I landed.

She had put on a pair of gloves and both of them had the "wind" symbol on them. I guess she wields the wind element just like how Mizu wields the water element. She ran forward, gathering _chakra_ to her hands.

"_Wind tai-jutsu_!"

True to her words, her gloves glowed blue with her _chakra_ and then wherever her hands went, a forceful wind followed. She punched and I ducked underneath it. However, the wind around her fist ruffled my hair and I then realised that she did not require a direct hit to be able to damage me. I flipped back, kicking out with my legs at the same time. She blocked with her arms and I pushed off them for more power. I landed ten metres away and she rushed forward to attack just as I landed.

Just as she was about to strike, I formed some hand-seals to perform the _fire-ball jutsu_ that is common among most Konoha ninja. I blew the fire-ball towards her and she struck it with her glows, wind clashing with flames. My flames were blown apart but the heat scorched her hands and gloves. She backed away, her hands and arms smoking, unable to attack for the moment. I turned to the remaining ninja and found that she also had not been idle. Mika had drawn two scrolls and this time, they had the symbol for metal on them. First, Mizu attacked with the water element, then Yuki with the wind element and now Mika with the metal. This was some team I was leading…

She unravelled her scrolls and the lettering on them glowed with _chakra_ before smoke appeared. When the smoke disappeared, tiny pieces of metal were floating around Mika. After longer observation, they appeared to be in the shape of bees.

"_Metallic Bee Swarm no-jutsu_!"

Just from the name I can tell this _jutsu_ will be very annoying. Waving her hands, she controlled her swarm of metallic bees. They flew at me, a thousand of them in the air, all of them with one will. She controlled them flawlessly; not a single one moved out of formation. She could change their formation in an instant, simply with some _chakra_ and hand-seals.

I leapt among the bees that were surrounding me, dodging their stings and deflecting them with kunai. However, they would not stop as they were driven by Mika's will. There only weakness is that Mika does not have the necessary amounts of _chakra_ to keep them going for long and if I attacked Mika directly, they would stop. That was exactly what I did.

I stepped up with the pace and moved faster. In an effort to keep up, Mika ordered her swarm to surround me in a trap but it was no use. Soon, I was at a speed where she could barely perceive my movements. Soon, her swarm was so widespread that she could not keep it together and some of the metallic bees began to fall to the ground. Soon, she gave up on her technique entirely and she lost control of the swarm and they fell to the ground, useless and eventually disappearing in a wisp of smoke.

The three of them stood back warily, trying to think of some way to land a hit on me. By now, they should have realised that they needed to work together. They traded gazes filled with understanding. They backed off and stood together, obviously discussing what to do. While they did so, I sat on the ground and yawned. Stupid _genin_…if this was a real life situation, they would not have the luxury of an opponent that waited for them to finish making a plan. However, this may be a good thing thought. It shows that they are thinking about the current objective and nothing else. From what I saw, those three were pretty advanced. They seemed to have mastered their respective elements well, especially since they were only beginning their _genin_ training. They might be interesting to have as a team…

When they had finished, they faced me with determined looks in their eyes. I stood up and raised my eyebrow.

"Ready now?" I asked.

In answer, they all rushed forward, all of them forming hand-seals. Once more, they all used the elements that they used before. Metal, water and wind…add the various fire element based jutsu Konoha is known for and we have covered four of the five elements. I recalled that the colour of Kyubi's _chakra_ was red and that spurred me on to learn the various fire element based _jutsus_ this village had to offer. This team consisted of ninjas that wielded four of the five elements between them…the Fourth must have put some careful thought into the creation of this team.

Anyway, my mind snapped back to my current battle and the first to attack was Mizu. What a surprise.

This time, she did not use a scroll and used a weaker water _jutsu_ from before. It was a simple water ball but she put a lot of chakra into it and it was large, about three metres in diameter. The raging ball of water rushed towards me and I leapt back out of the way, letting it hit the ground. The water then splashed in all directions, getting me and anything nearby wet. She was smart. It did not count as a direct hit but nonetheless the widespread water affected me. Now my fire element _jutsus_ will be less effective.

Suddenly, two blurs rushed at me and I recognised them as Yuki and Mika. Yuki once again relied upon her gloves while Mika had summoned two swords out of nowhere (must be another one of her clan's techniques). They attacked at the same time, from different sides. They were too close for me to escape without being hit so I had to parry their attacks. I leapt at Yuki and spun my leg around, focusing quite a bit of _chakra_ to my leg. She blocked with her arms and the winds surrounding them further helped her absorb my blow. However, when she was concentrating on blocking my leg, I swung my other leg over the first one, twisting my body all the way around and kicked the side of her head with it. She stumbled away, her attack averted. I landed and ducked just in time to dodge a twin slash from Mika. While the blades swept inches over my head, I struck forward, with my arms, and attacked her wrists, forcing her to drop her swords. She tried to kick me but I got the kick with my leg but I hit her stomach with the palm of my hand, forcing her off her feet and flying back. Both their attacks had failed.

However, it seems this was all planned. While forcing me to deal with Yuki and Mika's combined attacks, Mizu had been using the water soaking the earth we were on to make water replications. The formed into five of Mika's replications and they surrounded me completely and attacked. There were some coming at me from just above he ground, some from above and one were even materialising just underneath me. Instantly, I swept out a kunai in each hand and spun, slicing the clones. I managed to destroy four of them but just as my kunai bit into the last one; it landed a punch onto my stomach. The blow was pretty weak but nonetheless, it was a direct hit.

They had succeeded.

As the last clone was destroyed and the water once again soaked into the earth, I stood up and looked at my team. Mika and Yuki were too worn to even stand up and Mizu slumped to her knees. They had used quite a bit of _chakra _but they had passed. I looked at each of them in turn as they smiled, all relieved. I hardened my gaze and worry began to creep into their eyes.

"You guys managed to land a hit but at the cost of almost all your _chakra_. If I truly was aiming to kill you, you will all be dead," I said, glaring at them dangerously.

They shivered and dropped their gazes.

"However, we'll worry about that later and…Congratulations! We're officially a team!" I exclaimed, in a totally different tone of voice.

They stared at me, in shock. I guess I looked a bit strange: a 13 year old holding two lethal weapons and wearing the uniform of a seasoned ninja. Add to the fact that my usually spiky red hair was drooping over my eyes from the water, I must look quite strange. Also, just a second ago, I seemed devoid of emotion but now I was giving them one of my rare smiles.

Suddenly, they started to laugh and all leapt up to her feet in elation. Strange…they were near the point of fainting from exhaustion before and now…They were rushing up to hug me in elation. I could do nothing as they enveloped me and giggled uncontrollably. I dropped my kunai, in case they hurt themselves on them and shouted for them to let go but they did not listen.

All this reminded me of when Ryu passed my team…we all shouted in elation as well but we did not try to hug him. Sure, we were happy but we were not that close. These three were treating me as if I was some sort of strict, younger brother or something…Well; I just hope they will not act like this when we actually start our missions. I sighed as they still continued their cheers and did not let go for another full minute.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**First Battle:**

After the initial enthusiasm of being a ninja, my _genin_ subordinates discovered the very first discouragement from being a ninja: the dreaded D rank mission. As I led them through a series of boring, annoying and brain-cell-destroying D rank missions, I too was beginning to grow tired of this. We fixed roofs, we cleaned the sides of buildings and we did many other chores. I remember doing two or three as a _genin_ and then promptly made my point to the Ryu and the Fourth that I would NOT do any more of those missions. My team took some C rank missions after and even some B rank missions, until we became _chuunin_.

After that, my team-mates worked for a year as a team until we went off to our separate paths. I heard one of my old team-mates became a medic while the other supposedly died on a mission. I took the news with little remorse, as he had died with honour and lost his life saving another's. When I joined _Anbu_, I felt right at home as everyone around me did not display their emotions and we simply focused on the mission. For a time, I was one of the _Anbu_ that guarded the life of the Fourth and through this; I became much stronger as I absorbed experience from the Fourth. However, I had little doubt the Fourth intended to keep an eye on me.

However, I began to open up my emotions, when I met Minoko. She had joined _Anbu_ at the same time as me and we put on the same team. We grew stronger side by side and we spent nearly our entire _Anbu_ career together on one team. We became known throughout the squad as the youngest, most talented _Anbu_ in Konoha and they did not mock us of our age. Sure, they may have more experience but during those times, I went through the same thing they went through day after day. I came close to death numerous times and then there were times when I killed so easily, it was like slaughtering sheep.

---

I looked at my team, as they pulled weeds, and wondered if they would become as advanced as I am. Probably not but it must be strange for them to have a sensei who was younger than them when all of their old classmates had older sensei to look up to. I watched as Mizu took out her frustration on the weeds, as she pulled them out and swiftly mutilated them in anger. I observed as Yuki lazed about, trying to skip work before one of us scolded her and told her to continue. I noticed as Mika took out a _kunai_ and efficiently weeded the garden. I looked at them and saw talent that was going to waste. Earlier that day, Naruto had let in the morning on a supposedly C rank mission. Perhaps I could get one for my team as well…I guess I would have to take this straight to the Fourth…

---

I leapt along the rooftops of the village, once again ignoring the use of the ground level. I ran up high as the villagers milled about underneath, ignorant of what truly goes on within the village. They know little of ninjas and their missions, how ninjas risked their lives so that the people of Konoha could safely go on with theirs. I thought with interest of how little these people knew about the massacres and death-defying battles I have witnessed with my own two eyes. I wondered what it would be like to be one of them…

I soon arrived to the Hokage's office. The ninjas on guard nodded once at me and let me passed. I frequently made visits to the Fourth. After-all, he was like my father. He gave me life and he has taught me many things. As I walked up to the guards, they parted to let me through and I used one of the techniques that my "father" taught me. It was called the _Body Flicker no-jutsu _(_Shunshin no-jutsu_). It was another factor that made the Fourth Hokage famous. With this technique, he eliminated enemies in an instant with precision and god-like speed. He earned the nickname, "Konoha's Yellow Flash". Similarly, I also earned a nickname by adapting his technique. My Body Flicker was not as refined as his was but I still was able to earn the "Crimson Shadow" as a nickname, a tribute to my red hair and the fact that sometimes I utilised stealth as well as speed. With Kyubi's backing, I had no problems with power either.

I sped past the guards and I heard them mutter two words before I was out of range.

"Crimson…shadow…"

I guess I had really made a name for myself. I arrived to the Hokage's office and knocked on the door. I heard him invite me inside and I stepped in.

"Kyu, nice to see you," a voice said.

I looked around and saw the Fourth standing, staring out the window.

"Yo, Blondie," I said, displaying my usual, borderline disrespectful greeting.

"What did you need to see me for?" he asked, not remotely troubled with my overly-casual greeting to the leader of the ninjas within Konoha.

"It's about my _genin_ team…"

"Kyu, you are going to lead them no matter what."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"And…?"

"I swear that I will teach them enough to survive as ninjas. Happy now?"

"Yes, very much so," he replied, with one of his grins. "Now what did you want me for?"

"I wish to stop undertaking D rank missions and wish to take up higher ranked ones," I replied.

He smiled, as if he was long expected my request. Judging from the fact that I did little D rank missions when I was a _genin_, I guess he expected this.

"I see," he replied. "I approve. Team 7, lead by Hatake Kakashi, has just left on a C rank mission. Perhaps your team can join up with them and back them up?"

I raised my eyebrow. I thought I would be rid of Naruto for a few days but I guess the Fourth did not let up on my torture. It was not my fault I liked to destroy when I was demon…it was what we were born for…I nodded in reluctant agreement and I waved my farewell. He gave me a scroll with some information concerning the mission on it and I left via the window, leaping out into the air of Konoha.

---

I ran through the village, impatient to begin the mission and catch up with Team 7. I found Mizu by a pond, feeding ducks. I found Yuki, sleeping in a tree in the park. Finally, I found Mika, training near where I tested them for the team. All of them agreed to come. I waited at the gates for my subordinates, with a well-supplied pack. After I had found each and every one of them, I ordered them to pack some supplies and immediately meet me at the gates of the village. They arrived swiftly, eager to participate in the mission. As they caught up, I explained to them in detail of our mission and we left.

Team 7 had quite a lead on us and our first priority was to catch up to them. This was just a C rank mission and I had little concern for the risk to my subordinates, even if they had not been in a real, life-threatening situation before. The expected enemy would just be highwaymen or brigands and we should not be meeting any enemy ninjas. Even so, I doubt Kakashi would not be able the handle enemy ninjas, should they show.

With someone that they needed to protect, Team 7 would move slower than we are now so we should be able to catch up. Knowing Kakashi, they would not have left until late afternoon, even if Naruto went to meet them early in the morning. I smiled as I visualised what Naruto's reaction would be. Kakashi was notorious for being extremely late. I wonder if he does it on purpose, if there was some meaning behind it but I shook those thoughts from my head. I needed to concentrate on the task at hand. Besides, Kyubi was getting excited at the prospect of battle.

Suddenly, my ears picked up the sounds of battle. I shot a glance at my subordinates, grabbing their attention, and I sped up. They followed closely and soon, we found Team 7 in the midst of battle. However, when we arrived, Kakashi had already defeated them. Naruto's hand was cut but everyone else seemed uninjured. I rushed up to Kakashi and he looked over at me, confused.

"Kyu, what are you doing here?" he asked.

I looked around. Sasuke was staring back unshaken, Sakura was just calming down and the civilian was shocked but otherwise perfectly fine. Naruto, however, seemed to be in shock. I turned back to Kakashi.

"The Fourth has added us to this mission, as it is the first C rank mission your team is taking," I announced, tossing a scroll to Kakashi.

He opened it and nodded, unfazed.

I turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto, you should bandage that, you idiot."

He looked up with a strange look in his eye. I wonder what really happened in the battle...Suddenly, Naruto took out a _kunai_ and stabbed it into his hand, effectively increasing his bleeding. Everyone except for Kakashi and I gasped. Naruto looked up, a familiar determined look in his eye.

"That's good, Naruto, you're drawing the poison out," Kakashi said. "However, anymore and you may die from blood loss."

Naruto's eyes changed and instead, he began to feel afraid.

"AH! NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE THIS WAY!"

H began to wave his hand around, screaming his head off. I sighed and yelled out for him to stop.

"Get over here, you idiot," I ordered.

He obediently came forward, shivering from the fear of death. I put my hand over his wound and concentrated _chakra_ into it. It glowed in a red colour for an instant and then I quickly bandaged it. Kyubi's _chakra_ will help the wound heal much faster. As I turned away from Naruto, I noticed that Kakashi was watching. Did he realise that I was the reincarnation of Kyubi? However, if he did, he did not say anything. A distraction arrived. I sensed the approach of five ninjas and I looked at Kakashi.

"My team shall handle this group. You should continue on with the civilian," I suggested.

He nodded and ordered Team 7 to move out. As they moved off, I turned to face the newcomers, with my subordinates behind me.

"Are you guys ready?" I asked.

In answer, they drew their weapons and moved in front of me, ready to fight. Five enemies leapt from the trees and my team's first battle began.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Misty Memories:**

As the five enemy ninjas prepared to attack, I wondered why we were fighting ninjas on a C-rank mission. Well, there could be a possibility that these are Missing-Nins that have no purpose when it comes to attacking someone. They drew there weapons and gazed at my team, eyeing them and summing them up.

"Tch…just a bunch of brats…" one said, a male voice that seemed strangely high pitched.

"The Demon Brothers must have been defeated by others," another said, one who had a feminine voice.

"Those ones must have moved on and these four stayed behind," one with a deep voice said.

"Wait…that one with the red hair…and the _jounin_ uniform…he looks…" the high pitched voice mumbled.

"No matter, we have to hurry. Let's just finish them quickly," the deep voice commanded.

With that, they charged.

My three subordinates raised their weapons and attacked. Mizu launched a Water Ball Jutsu and hitting one of the enemies, halting his attack. Yuki had put on a glove and she drew some _chakra _to it, developing a small whirlwind. She swung up at her enemy, hitting him (I was not sure of the ninja's gender, as the ninja was covered by a cloak and mask, but judging by the build of the body, it was most likely a male) high into the air. Yuki had conjured two blades with her elemental powers and slashed her enemy.

During all this, I drew a _kunai_ in each hand and used my Body Flicker Jutsu. I appeared behind two of the enemies, who had stayed behind. I quickly eliminated one (the one who seemed to be female) by stabbing a _kunai_ into her neck and forcing another into her back, aiming for her heart. I pulled my _kunai_ out and the blood drained into the earth. I moved on to the next ninja but he had sensed my movement just in time and managed to retreat out of reach. I then realised this was the one with the high-pitched voice.

"You…Yes! I knew it!" he cried, fear in his voice. "You are the Crimson Shadow!"

I looked into his eyes, seeing only fear. I decided it was time to end his pathetic life. He drewthree _kunai_ in each hand and prepared to fling them at me but I countered with a _jutsu_. Quickly, I lightly slit my palms so a little blood dribbled out and I formed hand seals.

"_Crimson Earth no-jutsu_!" I cried.

I placed my hands onto the earth and concentrated _chakra_ into it. Using my blood as a medium, the _chakra_ spread into the earth. The earth glowed red and it spread to where the enemy was standing. Suddenly, streams of red light flew up and criss-crossed over the ninja's body. As the light disappeared, the ninja slumped to the ground. As his body fell, blood spurted out from wherever the streams had touched. I stood up, lifting my hands to look at my palms. The wounds were already healing, due to Kyubi, and my enemies were defeated. I looked to see how my subordinates were faring.

Yuki was now attacking her opponent in a mid-air, _tai-jutsu_ combo. A whirlwind was rushing around and around her opponent's body, as Yuki punched and kicked it. Soon, she launched a final sledgehammer blow, slamming the opponent down into the earth. Sliced and diced by the winds and also beaten up by Yuki's fists and feet, the enemy was dead by the time it hit the earth. Yuki did seem to have a lot of talent. I noticed that as soon as Yuki was able to get you into the air with that combo, you were screwed. Once in the air, Yuki could control the very air around you.

Mika was crossing swords with the deep-voiced ninja. He held a long metal staff. Even thought it was as long as he was and undoubtedly heavy, he wielded it with ease. He spun and thrust it, parrying and also counterattacking with ease. Mika kept up a steady rhythm of slashes and stabs, never once losing her footwork. However, I could tell she was not going to last for long. She was tiring but her opponent was nowhere nearly giving up.

Suddenly, she stumbled and her opponent took the chance. He stepped forward and swung his staff down with all his might. Mika blocked with both her swords but the force of the swing knocked them from her hands. She sprawled onto the ground, unable to attack. As the enemy raised his staff for the final blow, I intervened. I used the _Body Flicker no-jutsu _once again. I rushed up to the enemy and sliced with a _kunai_. With the added momentum of my _jutsu_, my _kunai_ easily sliced through the staff. I grabbed the piece of his staff that I had cut off and skidded to a stop, five metres away.

He had swung down but looked up in confusion when his staff did not make any contact. He looked over at me, sensing my presence and was shocked to see me holding onto a piece of his staff. Suddenly, he realised he had let his guard down and he turned back to Mika. However, Mika had formed two more blades in the time that he had taken to look over to me. She rose and sliced with both blades, aiming for vital areas. Blood spurted from his neck and stomach. Mika leapt back, away from the body, as it fell down with a crash.

Suddenly, a heard a yell of pain behind me. I turned around to see Mizu lying against a tree. She, the tree and the area around her were wet and slowly beginning to freeze over. Her opponent stood directly in front of her.

"So, this was all little Mizu had to offer," a voice said.

Wait a minute, this guy knew her!

"Y-you…I-I'll kill you!" she screamed desperately, rage in her eyes.

The man laughed mockingly and raised his hand. Some of the water around Mizu evaporated and the steam gathered in his palm. It cooled down and then immediately froze again, into a large, sharp icicle. It was clear that this guy was a master with the water element. This guy may have something to do with Mizu's past. Before he utilised the final blow, he spoke again. I raised a hand to stop Yuki and Mika from interfering. What he said next had the potential to be useful.

"Mizu, those were the exact words of your father before I finished him," he said.

Mizu hissed with rage and tried to raise her arms but the freezing water held her to the tree.

"The Hidden Mist Village never forgave your family for leaving us," he said. "We hunted and hunted for you, until we found and killed every single one of your family."

"We were leaving because you idiots were leading the village to doom! We were about to be destroyed and my family left to survive!"

"By staying with us, your family may have lived and survived along with our rebellion. Under Zabuza's leadership, we could have forged a living, even if we were on the run."

"That's idiotic! My parents ran to Konoha for help because they knew what they were doing. You didn't!"

"Enough," he retorted. "It's time to finish what we started, little Mizu, by taking your life!"

He raised the icicle, which formed into the shape of a blade. As he swung down, I countered it. While he was finishing his talk with Mizu, I had formed hand seals and prepared a _jutsu_ I moulded _chakra_ and forced into onto the staff piece I had in my hand. Then, I lit it on fire with a flame _jutsu_ and flung it at the enemy. I used the piece of the staff as a medium to carry the flames.

"_Flame Wheel no-jutsu_!" I cried.

The spinning "flame wheel" spun into the ice blade and melted and destroyed it. The flames also melted the ice around Mizu and she fell to the ground, exhausted. I used the _Body Flicker no-jutsu_ and appeared in front of Mizu.

"That's enough," I said. "Now back off or I shall kill you."

The ninja looked at me and then glanced around at his fallen comrades, fearing creeping into his eyes.

"Even if you kill Mizu and me, my other team-mates will surely finish you off," I said. "You'll have to go through them and me to kill Mizu."

He stared back at me, anger on his face.

"Then die with her!" he shouted.

He flung a _kunai _at me and I knocked it out of the way with my one. I turned my attention back to enemy and saw that he had leapt back, forming seals while biting onto a scroll.

"_Water Element, Flash Flood no-jutsu!_" he cried.

He opened the scroll in his mouth and water began to flow from it. A huge body of water was formed and it flowed towards us. Flash floods are floods that occur almost instantly and there is little or no warning. Such things were truly dangerous and had the force to sweep houses away. This one had that sort of power. I grabbed Mizu and leapt away. The onrushing water swept the tree out of the earth by the roots and also many of trees behind it before it finally subsided.

I landed twenty metres away, completely soaked by the water that had spread in all directions as it impacted with the tree. I placed Mizu on the ground and Yuki and Mika immediately ran up to support us. I left Mizu in their care and I charged forwards. The enemy was not finished with his attack and formed seals.

"_Ice Element, Artic Polar Bear no-jutsu!_"

The water froze and formed into a polar bear shape. The ice polar bear charged at me, surrounded by streams of moving ice. I formed hand seals and countered with a flame _jutsu_.

"_Fire Element, Immortal Phoenix no-jutsu!_"

I spewed out flames which formed into a great bird shape. It flew into the polar bear and melted it easily. Steam rose up into the air from the conflict but my phoenix could not be stopped by the moisture in the air. It flew on, heading straight for enemy. The phoenix hit the area he was standing in and the entire area was engulfed with flames. However, I strained my eyes and caught some movement. With sudden realisation, I turned around to see the ninja rushing desperately towards Mizu, a _kunai_ in each hand. His body was smoking and he was on the verge of death but he was determined.

I used my _Body Flicker Jutsu_ once again but the timing was too close. I arrived just as the ninja was about to stab Mizu. Yuki and Mika did not react fast enough to stop him and it was up to me. Just as Mizu was about to be stabbed by him, I reached out and in desperation, grabbed both blades. The metal bit into my hands but I managed to stop his attack. By this time, Mika and Yuki were aware of his presence and attacked him. Mika stabbed a _kunai_ into his neck and Yuki punched with her glove. The force of the wind blew him away and he landed ten metres away.

"Well done," I said, as I bandaged my hands. "Looks like we defeated them and its time we rejoined Team 7. Let's move out."

We started to move but then Mizu slumped to her knees. I heard the sound of her crying and I bent down to look at her.

"Mizu?" I asked. "What's up?"

"…"

"Are…you injured?"

She shook her head but remained silent. Why do girls have to be so annoying…? However, since she was obviously suffering from some sort of trauma, I guess I have to be nice. Human emotions can be so troublesome…

"Mizu, don't worry. You're safe now," I said, attempting to reassure her.

"Yeah, come on and let's go beat up some more retards!" Yuki put in.

"…" Mika remained silent.

I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Mizu, its time to go," I said.

Suddenly, she burst out crying and suddenly reached to hug me. She reached around and held me tightly. With her sudden weight, I lost balance and fell back on my butt.

"M-Mizu? What's wrong?" Yuki asked, reaching out to comfort her.

"M-mum…dad…I miss them so much…"

Oh. So that is what this is about. I reached behind her and patted her back. I have seen other people do it in such situations so I assume it is the correct course of action. Mizu started to cry into my shoulder and Yuki squatted down and rubbed Mizu's back. Even Mika bent down and also placed her hand on Mizu's shoulder.

"Why did mum and dad have to die?" I heard her ask.

"There are some things we can not stop," I began to say. "We try as hard as we can, we hold on as tightly as possible but things can still slip from our grasp. You try to catch water but it slips through your fingers. You try to reach the horizon but there is always more beyond. Mizu, there are some things you can not help. The only thing we can do is learn from these experiences and move on. Your parents didn't have to die but they did. However, you're alive. You have to appreciate that to the fullest and make do with what you have."

She calmed down considerably after my words. Her grip on me loosened and I gave her one final pat on the back before I stood up and let her go. She wiped her eyes and looked up.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

She nodded and attempted a smile. I nodded back to her and she blushed at something. I raised my eyebrow, confused but I let it go.

I turned started to walk down the road and they followed after. I heard Yuki continuing talking to Mizu and even Mika put in some words of comfort. After a while, Mizu told them what happened and I overheard.

"My family and I lived in the Hidden Mist Village and my parents were both ninja. We were living quite happily but soon, the Hidden Mist Village began to crumble and soon, it was gone. All that is left are rebel ninjas on the run. My family decided to leave it but we were seen as traitors and we were hunted to our deaths. Weeks past and my parents and I received news that our relatives were dying. We did not all travel together but we still remained in contact. By the time we reached Konoha, my parents and I were the last remnants of our family. A day from Konoha, we were found and attacked. My father held off the enemies and my mother ran away with me. We were able to escape for a half a day. Then, the enemies caught up and attacked. I remember how they took out a sack and tossed it to my mother, just before they struck. She opened it with trembling hands and I saw it: my father's head. She screamed in anguish and anger. She told me to run while she attacked the enemies. One of them struck her down with one blow. Then, all of them surrounded her and…"

She stopped there. Her parents were killed before her eyes. Death was nothing new to me, even since my birth. All the images of death and destruction Kyubi witnessed were passed on to me and I grew up witnessing such images until death was almost just a factor of life. To me, it was no more different then going to school or waking up to breakfast. It was an everyday thing. Mizu had continued.

"I ran away, from the screams of my mother before she died. I stumbled and came within sight of Konoha before they caught up. One of them kicked me from behind and I sprawled onto the ground. I turned around to see of them raise his sword. Just as he was about to kill me, _Anbu_ ninja arrived. They took care of them relatively easily and drove them away. Some managed to escape but instead of following after them, they immediately then took me to see the Hokage and then a medic. Then, I became a part of Konoha, growing up with a foster family. Eventually, I moved out and became a ninja."

So that was her story. It was little wonder that she became an aggressive person. I turned around to glance at Mizu, who was now laughing ands talking with the other two. I wondered about other orphans. Naruto had no parents, never had any, and grew up alone until he began to live with me. Mizu witnessed her own parents getting killed. Uchiha Sasuke saw the corpses of his entire clan in one night and discovered his last remaining relative, his brother, to be the killer.

As I thought about it, the more I realised how screwed up ninjas can be. Naruto, Mizu and Sasuke will all grow up to become ninjas, people trained to fight and kill. Heck, they already are at the point where they fight and kill. As I thought about my past, I really wonder if all this death, if all this sadness, is worth it. I turned around to see them glancing at me and giggling, like they were normal girls. As I wondered about what they were whispering about, pondered if I want to see these girls wield weapons and take the lives of real people…


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Demonic Clash:**

The branches were swaying lightly in the air and the rustle of the leaves was heard. All was peaceful but underneath this misleading image, conflicts were occurring and killer intent was heavy in the air. As I proceeded through the forest, travelling through the top branches, the air began to grow ever mistier. I shot a look at Mizu and she glanced back. We both knew that this meant trouble. Suddenly, I heard someone scream. It sounded like…Sakura!

Letting my subordinates fall behind, I shouted orders over my shoulder as I closed in to Team 7 and whoever was attacking them.

"I'm going in first!" I shouted. "Approach with caution, as well as stealth, and plan your attack. I will be expecting you to attack strongly and suddenly. Do not disappoint me…"

I let the last words trail off and I sped forward. I rushed along the branches, parting the leaves and then emerged to a lake. Quickly, I took in the scene. Tazuna, the person we were protecting, was surrounded by the _genins_ of Team 7. However, an enemy ninja, one that was covered in bandages and bore a forehead protector of the Hidden Mist Village, was standing among them. He also bore an over-sized sword. He had struck at Tazuna but Kakashi had intervened. However, before I rushed forward to help, I noticed…something…was wrong. Suddenly, both Kakashi and the enemy disappeared, their bodies turning to water. _Water Clone no-jutsu_! I realised. I looked towards the lake. If this was another ninja specialising in water-based _jutsus_, then a strong attack would come from there.

I heard the ring of metal against metal and I instantly turned my attention back to the others. Kakashi and the enemy were clashing blades. However, the enemy once again used a Water Clone. The real one appeared behind Kakashi. Just as Kakashi turned around, the enemy swung his sword down. Kakashi drew two _kunai_ and held them, crossed over each other, to block the attack. The huge sword was stopped but Kakashi was straining underneath the weight. Suddenly, another Kakashi appeared behind the enemy and stabbed him with another _kunai_. The first Kakashi broke apart, being another Water Clone. Really…so many clones…this was getting tiring…

I heard something heavy flying through the air and I turned towards the sound. Another over-sized sword was flying through the air, aimed at Kakashi. Kakashi leapt away and the sword sliced through the enemy, revealing another Water Clone. Kakashi had instinctively dodged and he escaped into the lake. However, I saw that this was a mistake. I watched, as Kakashi was caught in a trap, _Watery Prison no-jutsu_, it turned out to be. Kakashi was caught in a dome of water, which was embedded with _chakra_. He can do nothing to escape. The enemy was standing on the water, holding Kakashi in the trap. Finally, I got a good look at him. This was bad…the enemy was Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist Village. Kakashi must have been reading his perverted books too much lately or something because his reactions seemed to slower than usual in this battle. I think it was time the Mist Demon got a taste of fighting another demon. As I sprang forward, I felt Kyubi stir in my mind.

I leapt out of the trees, ran along the water's surface. I drew a _kunai_ in each hand. I raised them to stab Zabuza with them but suddenly, three of his Water Clones appeared out of the water in front of me. Like wraiths, they suddenly sprung out, their over-sized swords reaching up to me. As a 13 year old, I was much shorter than they were and they towered over me. However, I used my size to my advantage. I leapt up and kicked one in the face, pushing off it and aiming another kick at the other. He third one swung his sword at me, not having to worry about slicing his comrades anymore. However, I blocked his slash with both my _kunai_ and then I flipped over and landed on it. I ran along the huge blade and landed a kick on the third clone's face.

I landed back on the water, unharmed but my surprise attack ruined. Then again, it was to be expected. I was facing against a ninja that was given a "demon" status, who specialised in water-based _jutsu_. And here I am, standing on top of a lake of water. There was no time to escape, only time to strike back.

"Oh…the Crimson Shadow, I presume?" Zabuza asked. "What a surprise. Copy-cat Kakashi and the Crimson Shadow in one place at the same time."

He had Kakashi trapped but because of that, one of his hands can not be used to defend himself. I could attack him and he would be defenceless. I formed hand-seals and then used _Body Flicker_.

I appeared right behind him, a _kunai_ held out. He felt my presence and began to turn his head but before he could do anything, I plunged my _kunai_ straight into him. However, just before the _kunai _connected, I sensed something being thrown at me. I looked to the right and just managed to see what looked like six needles flying straight for me. I swung my _kunai_ and knocked all six needles out of the way. However, doing so cost me my advantage and Zabuza swung his huge sword. I blocked with my _kunai_ and the force of his swing caused me to skid back across the surface of the water, my feet making trails in the water, sending ripples to all directions.

I looked up to see another ninja to have appeared next to Zabuza. Judging by the hair and clothes, it seemed the ninja was a female but wore an _Anbu_ mask over her face.

"Haku, you didn't need to step in," Zabuza said.

"My apologies, Zabuza-san," Haku replied. "But I judged it to be more beneficial if I intervened."

"…"

Suddenly, a clone appeared at the water's edge, another one of Zabuza's. It raised its over-sized sword and immediately went after Naruto and the others.

I swore and chased after it but immediately, Haku appeared in front of me, throwing needles. I deflected them and tried to move around but then, twenty of Haku's Water Clones rose out of the water. I narrowed my eyes as they surrounded me. They tightly covered every side and unfortunately, my _Body Flicker _was not refined enough to make it through so many. I raised my _kunai_, seeing no way out but to fight. However, I know I will not make it in time to stop Zabuza's clone.

Each of them took out needles, three in each hand and got ready to fling them at me. I tensed my body.

"Please stand down," Haku said. "I do not wish to harm you."

This is quite peculiar. My enemy was showing me mercy. Maybe it was because I was a kid but then again, so was she. I glanced around me and realised that _Body Flicker_, mine at least, would not be fast enough to defeat them all. If the Fourth was here, sure, _Body Flicker_ would be all that he needed but I was not the Fourth, not the Konoha's Yellow Flash. I was Konoha's Crimson Shadow and even if my moves were not so flashy, I guess I should live up to the "Crimson" part of my name.

The _jutsu_ I had in mind was called the _Crimson Steam no-jutsu_. If you have not realised by now, a lot of my _jutsu_ have to do with the colour red, or crimson. In reality, they all require a little of my blood but more importantly, the Kyubi's _chakra_ that flows with that blood. With Kyubi's violent malice and violent nature, I could use that _chakra_ to perform these _jutsu_. I guess you can call it my bloodline limit but if someone had enough _chakra_ and enough control over that _chakra_, they could do it too, provided they know how.

The _Crimson Steam no-jutsu_ requires me to drop my _chakra_ loaded blood into the water but also a fire-based _jutsu_. The fire heats of the water, to the point where it steams. Kyubi's _chakra_ is carried in that steam and it can be used to attack the enemy. The _chakra_ filled steam, like the earth affected by my _Crimson_ _Earth no-jutsu_, can cut my enemies or just destroy them.

I formed the necessary hand-seals to mould the _chakra_ and then I took a _kunai_ and ran it down the side of my left arm. The blood seeped into the water and immediately, it began to steam. I used so much _chakra_ that the red spread to the point where it was under Haku's clones, the water heated up and the steam engulfed the clones. After a moment, the steam cleared and they were gone.

"What…what was that?" I heard Haku ask.

While she was preoccupied with contemplating what I just did, I looked to Naruto and the others and saw that Naruto had used _Shadow Clone no-jutsu_ and had surrounded the Zabuza clone. However, this would not be enough and the clone defeated them all. Then, one of the clones threw a giant shuriken to Sasuke, who then threw the shuriken at the clone. The clone dodged it but then I realised his true target was the real Zabuza, who was occupied with trapping Kakashi. I sensed Haku beginning to move and immediately used _Body Flicker_ and intercepted her.

"Your fight is with me," I said. "The moment you attacked me, you have realised the consequences."

While we were talking, the shuriken flew into Zabuza.

"Hmm…useless…" I heard Zabuza mutter and he caught the shuriken.

I smiled as a second shuriken appeared. Zabuza's eyes widened and Haku tensed. I turned back to her, not letting her get past. However, Zabuza managed to jump above the shuriken. Well…I guess I should have expected that but then what happened next was definitely unexpected. The second shuriken turned into Naruto, or else the shuriken originally was Naruto. The newly formed Naruto threw a _kunai_ at Zabuza and Zabuza really was in danger this time. However, he released Kakashi and dodged the _kunai_, barely, as it sliced just unde his eye. Kakashi sank into the water and Zabuza staggered on the surface of the water.

Naruto bobbed up and down in the water, grinning at his success of freeing Kakashi. However, Zabuza suddenly turned around, nothing but malice and murderous intent in his eyes. He raised the giant shuriken he caught and it whirled around.

"Naruto, get out of there," I screamed.

I started to move towards him but then Haku blocked my way. I glared into his mask.

"The tables have turned, Kyu-kun," she said to me. "Now it is I who shall hold you back, while Zabuza-san finishes off your team-mates, one by one."

Team-mates? That reminds me…where was my team? I shook the thought from my head. I had to trust that they were close by and ready to go. I faced Haku and struck. I swung my fist at her and she blocked, before easily diverting it and aiming her own kick at me. I grabbed her foot with my other arm and pulled, causing her to lose her footing. She flung her other leg up and aimed for my head. I let go of her leg and I ducked underneath it. She drew several needles and flung them at me. At this close range, it was practically impossible to dodge. She threw six and I got two in each hand and somehow, maybe it was just an afterthought of Kyubi's or something, but I caught the last two by clamping my teeth on them as they flew at my face.

I spat them out and flung the needles back at her. She dodged easily and I drew my _kunai_. Over her shoulder, I saw Kakashi standing above Naruto, having just saved him. He glanced at me, clearly sizing up my opponent. Since we were standing on top of a lake and both of our foes were skilled at using water-based _jutsu_, we were in a bad situation. Haku rushed around and flung more needles. I deflected them and rushed towards her. She skidded to a stop and then formed hand-seals.

"_Needle Spray no-jutsu_!" she cried.

A splash of water rose behind her and then suddenly, a countless number of needles flew from it. I raised my eyebrow at the almost ridiculous amount of water and then I realised they were all made of water. They were in solid form and the solid form of water is ice, which is easily melted with fire. I grinned and quickly formed my own hand-seals.

"_Fire Element, Immortal Phoenix no-jutsu_!" I shouted.

Once again, flames in bird-shape flew from my mouth, growing in size. The needles hit it and immediately turned to steam. With Kyubi's _chakra_ imbedded into it, it was strong enough to even steam the surface of the water.

"Spread your wings," I commanded.

The flame-bird did indeed spread its wings and then the fire exploded and flew in multiple directions. Haku immediately leapt away but my flames covered too wide an area for her to dodge. While she dealt with my attack, I turned my attention back to Kakashi. He had just summoned a water dragon and it fought with Zabuza's own dragon. Then, amidst the chaos of the two dragon-shaped bodies of water, Kakashi and Zabuza clashed blades. I used _Body Flicker_, grabbed Naruto and then leapt away from the battle, bringing him to his team-mates. I dropped him and he gasped for air as I turned back to the battle. All I saw was an explosion of water. I grimaced as Kakashi copied one of the strongest water-based _jutsus_.

When the water subsided, I saw Zabuza impaled on a tree by several _kunai_ and Kakashi was standing over him. I snapped my eyes around. Where was Haku…? Suddenly, before Kakashi could finish Zabuza, Haku appeared and used some sort of water-based _jutsu_¸ that was enhanced by the newly wet surroundings. I cursed under my breath and rushed to them. I have used up quite a lot of _chakra_ and catching up to Team 7 and using _Body Flicker _so many times has taken its toll on my body. Even with Kyubi's power, I was too weak to attack this instant. Kakashi leapt away from Haku and Haku proceeded to free Zabuza. When he was free, Zabuza once again raised his over-sized sword, ignoring his wounds and what seemed like protests from Haku. He was a demon indeed, as he was still smiling. Kakashi was weary from using his _sharingan_ so much and a _jutsu_ of the magnitude he just used, it would have drained him. Both of us were tired but Zabuza was relentless. I closed my eyes and in my frustration, I called to Kyubi.

_Hey, stupid fox, wake-up. If you were so strong, get us out of this then._

I almost felt an answer, like a sudden rise in malice. It was like; Kyubi was trying to tell me something. Then, help arrived.

I smirked and said, "You guys are late but you guys just saved our lives."

Three figures, one of with grey hair, another with green and one more with blue: Team 11, lead by Kyu the Crimson Shadow.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Genin Training:**

"You guys are late," I said to my team.

"Sorry, but we wanted to make sure we came at the moment, _sensei_," Mika answered.

"Yeah, but we're ready to kick butt now!" Mizu said.

All three of stood in between Zabuza and Kakashi. Zabuza raised his eyebrows at the newcomers and looked over his shoulder at Haku. Haku nodded and formed hand-seals. However, before she could finish the last one, I used _Body Flicker_ one more time, appearing in front of her. I grabbed her hands, holding together with one of mine, before holding a _kunai_ to her throat with my other.

"No more _jutsu_ from you," I said. "They're way too annoying. Mizu, Mika, Yuki! Finish off Zabuza. Kakashi, look after them, please."

Without waiting for an answer, I kicked Haku in the stomach, forcing her to double over in pain. I raised my _kunai_, ready to administer the final blow. However, I sensed a sudden increase of _chakra_. I glanced to where it came from and saw the lake freezing over. What the…Suddenly, I heard scream behind me. I turned around to see Zabuza swing his sword around, effectively knocking aside my three team members. I cursed and formed hand-seals.

"_Fire Element, Meteor Shower no-jutsu!_" I shouted, forcing the last reserves of my _chakra _into my attack. I raised my hand, the _chakra_ flying from my hand into the sky. Immediately, fire-balls began to rain down from the sky. I directed them to Zabuza. Zabuza swung his sword in answer, twirling his huge blade around and around over him, knocking aside any flames. Then, Haku leapt up and grabbed my hand, before raising one needle and stabbing it towards me.

Mizu had not been idle while I was using this technique. She had been affected least by Zabuza's water element based _jutsu_ and used a water _jutsu_ to support me. I immediately felt water envelop me, before it dragged me under and transported me safely away. I resurfaced near Mizu and away from Haku. Then, Mizu collapsed. This battle was really taking its toll on us. We had to finish this now…Suddenly, it all stopped. Zabuza had collapsed, his demonic fury leaving him and it gave in to exhaustion. Haku immediately appeared beside him and then slung one of his arms over her shoulders. Then, she held her hand in a one-handed seal and was gone in a whirl of _chakra_. It seems we have fended them off…

I got down to one knee, breathing hard. I barely had enough _chakra_ to keep myself afloat on top of the water. I turned to see Naruto reaching the shore of the lake and the others helping him. Mika and Yuki were helping Mizu up while Kakashi wearily got to his feet.

"Well, let's move on. Tazuna-san, is the village nearby?" Kakashi said.

"Yes, it's not too far away. Follow me."

Kakashi took one step and then promptly fell on his face. I sighed and walked over to him. His _genin_ panicked but I reached down and felt for a pulse.

"He's alive, don't worry," I said. "He's just exhausted."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"Naruto, come help me with Kakashi. The rest of you, begin following Tazuna-san to the village. We'll bring up the rear."

---

A few days later, Kakashi was recovering and he began training Naruto and the others in _chakra_ control. Meanwhile, I helped my own team train, primarily by helping them improve their _chakra_ control but more tied in with their own elements. Mizu, Mika and Yuki seemed very advanced, almost to the point where they were geniuses. Mizu really did seem to have a knack for _nin-jutsu_, especially those of the water element. However, I judged her to have the best _chakra_ control and capacity among the group. Yuki seemed the best at _tai-jutsu_ and especially with those gloves of hers; she added a wind element to her _tai-jutsu_. Mika worked well with her equipment and catered for it by producing weapons out of minerals in the earth with her metal element abilities. She wielded almost any weapon naturally, as long as it was made of metal. She reminded me a lot of Tenten, a girl in Gai's team. However, with the proper training, I think Mika can excel at using weapons as well. Perhaps not to the point where she was as precise as Tenten but somewhere close.

However, none of them had much skill in _gen-jutsu_. I am sure that if they took a _gen-jutsu_ attack, such as Kakashi's Sharingan effect, they would not survive. Then again, it was not like I was an expert either. My team was pretty balanced. We had use of four of the five different elements, as well as strong _nin-jutsu_ and _tai-jutsu_ capabilities but we were lacking in the _gen-jutsu_ area. _Gen-jutsu_ never appealed to me. I saw it was a weak, indirect form of fighting. However, Ryu knew quite an amount of _gen-jutsu_ and I saw him use it on a mission and he used it to the point where the enemy could not withstand him at all. Perhaps I could ask him to teach me some things. Then again, I cringe at the thought of having to ask a request from him. I would have to endure endless comments and I could just imagine it now…

"_Wow, the mighty Kyu, the Crimson Shadow, is asking a favour from me, a simple Konoha Jounin."_

"_Shut-up. Just teach me."_

"_Now, now…Is that the polite way to speak to someone whom you are asking a request? I thought you would have absorbed some more manners from the time that you have been under my wing…"_

"_You didn't teach me a single thing…except that I should avoid idiots in advance before they slowly wore away my mind…"_

"_There, that's a show of how strong my _gen-jutsu_ is! Perhaps you should show a bit more gratitude?"_

No, I did not enjoy the idea of asking him for a favour at all…

"HEY, KYU-SENSEI!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and returned to my surroundings. Mizu was looking at me, arms crossed and her foot was tapping. It was a striking resemblance to Minoko, when she was annoyed at me for some reason. I shook my head mentally and turned my attention back to her.

"Ah, sorry…I was drifting off for a moment there…"

"We could tell," Yuki muttered.

I glared at her, thinking about how this girl had a tendency to have her attention waver but I let it go.

"Sensei, I think you should take a look at my _jutsu_! I think I finally got the hang of it!" Mizu exclaimed.

"Oh really…" I said, raising my eyebrow. "Ok, take a shot at me then."

I tensed my body and shifted into a defensive stance, ready for her attack. Mizu grinned and then raised her hands, forming hand-seals.

"_Water Clone no-jutsu_!"

We were training near a river, to make it more convenient for Mizu. Instantly, five Water Clones materialised from the water. Hmm…she has been improving. I whipped out a _kunai_ in each hand, spinning then on my fingers. I raised them up to my eyes, holding my fists across my eyes.

"Go," I said.

Immediately, I heard a splash of water and I knew that they were on the move. I heard two steps behind me and immediately, I shifted my weight backwards, ducking my head as I did. I stabbed my _kunai _back behind me, stabbing into two clones. They disappeared in a splash of water. I raised my head and saw three attacking from in front of me. I shifted my weight forward this time, using what little momentum it gave me to help myself as I leapt forward. I slashed through all three of them, their bodies bursting into water as I got past them. I raised my eyes and saw Mizu but once again, she was forming hand-seals.

I sensed some _chakra_ movement beneath me and I looked down and saw clones forming from the water that the previous clones were made of. I leapt up, as a hand formed and reached for my foot. I landed about ten metres back as two clones formed.

"You've definitely been improving. The main point of clones is that they can act as distractions or attack unexpectedly while the opponent is focused on something else, namely you. You've starting to get the hang of that."

"Thank-you, sensei."

"Keep practising. We're up against Mist-nin and you need to have your skills up to par with them. You can learn a lot as well, while we're fighting them."

"Hey, hey! Sensei! Can you come over and help me?" Yuki called out.

"Keep going, Mizu. Take a break when you run low on _chakra_," I ordered, as I turned to Yuki and started to help her with _tai-jutsu_.

---

Later that day, when we finished up training and the others returned to the Inn we were staying at, I went to meet Kakashi, where he was staying with the client.

"Kakashi, how is the bridge coming along?"

"It is nearing completion but Zabuza hasn't made a move yet."

"Well, he was injured and he has to recover."

"Nonetheless, we have to prepare. Naruto and Sasuke are working on their _chakra _control by climbing trees."

"Climbing trees? Maybe I should get my team to do that as well…but I'm helping them with their _jutsu_ instead."

"Oh yeah. From what I heard, your team has got quite a range of _jutsu_."

"Yeah."

"Including one with water-based _jutsu_."

"…"

"Kyu, does she…does her past have anything to do with the Hidden Mist?"

"Yeah, her parents from it. However, she came to Konoha as a child."

"Why?"

"Her parents were running from the Hidden Mist, when it was getting chaotic. However, her parents were seen as deserters and were hunted. Mizu made it alive because an Anbu team rescued her but her parents were killed."

"I see…"

"Kakashi, I doubt she would know anything that will help us. You're better off consulting the client."

"Yes, you're right. Anyway, it's lucky that your team came to help us. This mission is turning out to be around A class…Come to the bridge tomorrow, if your team is done training. I have a feeling something is going to happen soon."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…how is Naruto coming along?"

"He's doing fine. He's training with Sasuke at the moment. Both of them are so competitive with one another. Why do you want to know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Just curious. I do live with him after all." Not to mention my "father" told me to keep an eye on him.

Just then, Naruto and Sasuke stumbled into view. Naruto was leaning on Sasuke and both of them were exhausted. I raised my eyebrow, as they approached. Their clothes were worn and they were breathing hard but nonetheless, Naruto was wearing a triumphant grin and Sasuke was just annoyed at his team-mate's antics. I started to feel sorry for Sasuke.

"Kakashi-sensei! We did it!" he exclaimed. "We made it to the top of the tree!"

He raised his fist in triumph and immediately felt back on his butt.

"You idiot…" Sasuke grumbled.

I shook my head and started to walk away, thinking, "I second that".


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Unleashed:**

As I watched my team train, Kakashi's last words the night before still rang in my ears. On the most part, Sakura, the one that needed the least training with _chakra_ control, was watching the bridge. However, if Zabuza and Haku lead a determined attack onto the bridge, Sakura would be practically nothing to them. I swore quietly as I thought about it. This mission was the stuff of an _Anbu_ mission, not some stupid C rank mission. Then, if we had Copy-cat Kakashi with us, we might be able to do this. However, I relaxed when I remembered Sasuke and Naruto had completed their training. They should be with Kakashi and Sakura at the bridge now. I guess we should join them.

"Hey, that's enough," I called out.

Immediately, Mizu and the others stopped. They turned to me, eyebrows raised. I flicked my head in the general direction of the bridge and started to walk. As they followed without complaint, something in the back of my mind caught my attention. As I walked on, several thoughts penetrated into my consciousness.

_A true hunter knows his surroundings. _

_A true hunter never gets caught from behind._

_A true hunter can smell fear._

_A true hunter hunts. _

Suddenly, like an explosion in my mind, my hearing, my sight…all five of my senses rose. As I gazed around in shock, a red haze seemed to dwell upon all that I saw. Was this…Kyubi's doing? Was his/her/it's power waking up? However, I did not feel anything trying to control my mind, trying to control my body. There seemed to be nothing wrong, except for my sudden heightened senses. Then, I felt it.

Fear.

It was behind me. I glanced around me to see Yuki talking; I could even hear her words, even if she was whispering to the others.

"Do you think we can win?"

She was nervous.

Suddenly, I felt something else. Hostility. Killer intent. Large numbers of ninjas were on the move. Then, I felt something familiar. My eyes widened as I felt recognition.

Naruto.

---

I rushed as fast as I could, towards where my new found sense told me Naruto was. It was beginning to fade, like as if Kyubi had thought that was enough. In confusion, Mizu and the others tried to keep up. The feeling was not urgent, so I did not use _Body Flicker_ but nonetheless, I felt haste was required. Suddenly, they came into view. Naruto, standing in front of a small boy and his mother. As well as a group of ninjas.

Two defeated ninjas lay in front of Naruto but he clearly could not take on twenty or so ninjas, not by himself. Kakashi was right; Zabuza and those under him were making their move. As the fore ninja was about to strike at Naruto, I used _Body Flicker_ and appeared in front of Naruto. Before anyone could even react, I disarmed the enemy, primarily by cutting off his sword arm. Then, as the pain and shock sunk in, I stepped forward and stabbed a _kunai_ into his heart, before pulling my weapon out. Finally, I got a reaction. The one I attacked was already dying, already dead but the others behind him brandished their weapons. Five of them charged.

I rushed into them head-on, appearing before the first one. Before his eyes even told him I was there, I thrust my _kunai _into his stomach, driving it through until my hand sunk into his body. As his blood gushed out, all over my hand and arm, I poured some of the Kyubi_ chakra_ running in my blood into his. Then, as his blood heated up, I withdrew my hand and leapt back, kicking off his body, sending his body into his four comrades. As his heated blood reached its limit, it exploded. I turned his body into a bomb. As the burning blood flew from his body, it covered his comrades, causing them to writhe in pain. Everyone covered their noses and mouths from the stench of blood. I called this technique, the _Crimson Body jutsu_. Needless to say, Kyubi had some nasty techniques to manifest in my body.

As my subordinates arrived, the kid and his mother moved away, retreating back home, I assumed. Naruto looked at me, a clear question on his face but even he realised there was no time for that.

"Naruto, go to the bridge," I ordered. "Hurry."

He nodded and leapt off, the enemies in front of us too scared to move. As he ran behind the group, heading towards the bridge, several of the hind ninjas moved to intercept him but I used _Body Flicker_ and appeared in front of them, instantly halting them in there tracks. My team blocked them off and as everyone drew their weapons, I tensed my body.

Then, unexpectedly, I charged forward and as I drove my _kunai_ into an enemy, the battle began. I pulled my _kunai_ out of the enemy's body, before turning to the others. Caught between my team and me, they panicked and rushed forward, brandishing various weapons. I could tell they did not all work together usually work together but were separate mercenaries that were hired by one person. As they rushed and pushed each other towards me, they got in each others' ways and did not support each other at all. They had enough sense to not attack me separately but when you worked this bad together, there was not much of an advantage in numbers.

I rushed forward, stopping in front of an enemy that towered over me. However, I simply stabbed forward, plunging my _kunai_ into his gut, while withdrawing it and slipping behind him and scrambling up his back and stabbed a_ kunai_ into the back of his neck. I released my _kunai_ and the blow began to flow out like a river. As I felt spurts of blood splattering on my back, I pushed forward from the body and flew headfirst into another oncoming enemy. I tackled him to the ground, stabbing a _kunai_ into his neck. I looked up to see two ninjas on either side of me, holding their _katana_ high above their heads. As they swung down with all their might, I darted forward, fling the two _kunai_ in each my hands, swinging my arms backwards. As the _kunai_ flew from my hands, they stabbed into the sides of my enemies' necks. I looked over my shoulder, back at the carnage that I had caused. Four enemies in about two or three seconds…not bad…but I remembered the Fourth could defeat twenty in the same amount of time.

As I looked up, there were about ten enemies left, as Yuki and Mika engaged them while Mizu hung back and used long-distance _nin-jutsu_. Five of them were staring at me, fear in their eyes. I grinned in a feral fashion and charged forward, using one continuous _Body Flicker_ to finish them. As all five landed with various wounds in their bodies, Yuki and Mika just finished off their opponents and two were left. As they stood back to back, their teeth were chattering in fear and their eyes were wide. As we approached, they dropped their weapons, their _katana_ clattering to the ground. Then, quick as a striking snake, Mika and Yuki struck. As Yuki unleashed her aerial _tai-jutsu_ combo on one of them, Mika stabbed the other with both her swords.

I gave out orders quickly, instructing Yuki and Mika to move and protect the V.I.P's family, at his house while Mizu and I moved to the bridge now. I hope when we arrived, it would not be too late. Unfortunately, Kyubi and its heightened senses had nothing to say so I had no idea about how Team 7 was faring on the bridge but I trusted to the fact that Kakashi could keep them alive. However, Kakashi and I could barely fend off the combined attacks of Haku and Zabuza. With a feeling of dread, I headed for the bridge.

---

With Mizu trailing behind me, we finally arrived to the bridge but it was shrouded with mist. Inside, I heard the sounds of battle. As I watched from one end, contemplating the best way to approach, Mizu eyed the mist and stiffened. She knew that a high class Mist Ninja was here. Zabuza…Haku…how would this battle end? Will they win? Were they toying with us before? Are Kakashi and Team 7 about to die? Is Naruto about to die?

Then, I shook these negative thoughts from my head, realising that I did not help the situation. I could not let my comrades die. I could not fail this mission. In my position, the Fourth would say the same. Kakashi is probably thinking the same thing as well. Besides, Naruto is in there and the Fourth trusted me with him. I glanced at Mizu. He trusted me with her life as well, not to mention Yuki and Mika. I drew a _kunai_, tensed my body and peered into the mist.

"Mizu, are you ready?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Let's go," I ordered. "Approach with caution and move forward warily. Just like how we can't see the enemy, the enemy can't see us. However, Zabuza is accustomed to attacking without the benefit of sight so use your ears. Go ahead first; I'll be two metres behind you. You watch in front and I'll watch your back."

She nodded again and slowly moved forward into the mist and I fell into step behind her.

As the sounds of metal clashing became closer and closer, I closed my eyes, using Mizu's steps to guide mine. Kakashi and Zabuza must be aware of our presence now. More than likely, they'll smell the blood that drenched my ninja suit. Hopefully, that meant that Zabuza would aim for me. While I did my best to counter, Mizu would have an opening. The key to direct attacks is a lightning fast reaction, something achieved through incredibly deep concentration, as well as practice and training. I trained Mizu to not necessarily expand her _chakra_ capabilities but to increase the speed in which she can call upon her _chakra_, thus increasing the speed of her _nin-jutsu_. This would also help with _tai-jutsu_ but would help little with _gen-jutsu_, which is why Mika and Yuki underwent the same training, to improve their reaction.

The method that I formed to train them was simple and quick but they repeated it many times. Attacks could come instantly and without warning and I could not be there every step of the way to warn them of incoming attacks. Light travels faster than sound; therefore your sight would be a faster sense than your hearing. However, the eyes are easily tricked, especially with _gen-jutsu_. Thieves are successful because they trick their victim's sense of sight. Also, I knew there was a chance that Zabuza would use something like this mist so I trained my team to rely a little less on their sight as well.

I made one of them stand in an open area, blindfolded, surrounded by tall posts that had targets in irregular heights. Using my speed, I leapt from target to target and their aim was to hit me based on where my footsteps were. At first, they missed the targets completely but after a while, their attacks grew more accurate and eventually, they reacted almost instantly, keeping ahead of the sounds of my footsteps, in order to not to be confused.

After various other reaction exercises, I felt they were ready to fight. Now, Mizu will prove if I was right or wrong. Suddenly, I felt a footstep close by and in the mist, the shadow of a large sword appeared. It was Zabuza! Quickly, I moved to Mizu's back, blocking his huge sword with my _kunai_. Quickly, Mizu reacted and formed hand-seals, using one of her water _jutsu_. Moisture in the mist around us formed the water she needed and water engulfed Zabuza. However, it turned out to be a water clone and another Zabuza appeared on the other side of Mizu. However, Kakashi intervened this time. If he chose to attack now, then this was it: this was the real Zabuza. I assumed his _Sharingan_ told him. Using _Body Flicker_, I appeared on the other side of Zabuza, trapping him in between us. Mizu then flung out her _kunai_, reaching from behind Kakashi to stab Zabuza. However, a sudden stream of water rose over the side of the bridge, aiming for us. Kakashi leapt out of the way while I grabbed Mizu and did the same. Then, Zabuza disappeared into the mist again. However, he headed towards Sakura and the V.I.P.

Cursing, I _Body Flickered_ and countered Zabuza's attack. Kakashi appeared for his attack but then Zabuza leapt back into the mist again. Mizu ran up to us, looking around wildly.

"Mizu, stay with Sakura and protect the client," I ordered.

"Kyu, we should hurry," Kakashi said. "I'm worried about Naruto and Sasuke."

"…where are they?"

"Fighting Haku."

I swore and turned back to the mist. Instantly, I worried about those two. Haku was not such a mindless killer as Zabuza but nonetheless, Sasuke and Naruto did not stand a chance.

"Worried about those two brats?" Zabuza's voice said.

"What do you think?" I replied, curtly.

"I think Haku should hurry up…always doing it the slow way…I need help against both Copy-cat Kakashi and the Crimson Shadow."

"Tch…whatever…"

Suddenly, I heard a scream. It was Naruto.

"SASUKE! NO!"

Instantly, I snapped my head towards where the voice came from.

"Naruto!"

"DAMN YOU! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Ok, that is Naruto, no doubts. But…what happened to Sasuke? Was he…dead?

Suddenly, as if to my wishes but I realised it was Zabuza's doing. The mist parted, and instantly, I saw some mirrors arranged in a dome shape. Inside were Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was lying on the ground, needles piercing his body. Naruto was the same, but still conscious. However, I knew it could not last for long. Then, Haku appeared from one of he mirrors above Naruto, holding up a needle, ready to finish Naruto off. Then, something in me snapped. It was like just before, when my senses were suddenly sharpened. Except more happened, a lot more.

Red _chakra_ began to rise around me, enveloping my body. Beside me, Kakashi's eyes widened with shock. I knew immediately it was Kyubi; what else could it be? My whole body began to tense and the red aura seemed to make my body become on fire. Flames erupted in the air around me. All around my body, fur was sprouting, subtly at first but becoming more prominent. Then, I grew fangs and claws. I knew Kyubi was messing with me but I did not care at the moment. All that mattered was that I killed Haku, for Naruto, for the Fourth. For…my father…


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Darkness Within:**

The air around me was heating up. My red hair was literally blazing as flames licked around my body. Strangely enough, I was unharmed. However, I was not even aware of the heat. I was dimly aware of my surroundings, as Kakashi moved away from the intensity of the flames, as Zabuza backed off into the mist. However, I did not care. Kakashi could take Zabuza, especially with the support of Mizu and perhaps even Sakura as well. All that I saw was Haku.

By now, I realised Kyubi was seriously awakening here, or something is happening with its _chakra_. Was the Fourth's seal weakening? Did I subconsciously nullify the seal, as I desperately wanted more power? Did Kyubi awake because of my killer intent? There were numerous questions in my head and any answers I could contemplate simply lead to more questions. However, on the surface of my mind, all I saw was about one hundred different ways I could kill Haku, right here, right now. I imagined using the _Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu_ and pierce Haku's body with an uncountable amount of _kunai_, until you could not even see her body underneath all the metal and blood. I imagined ripping her to shreds with my newly developed claws. I imagined slicing her body in half. Above all, I imagined watching as Haku breathed her last breath. Then, I lost myself to Kyubi.

Even if I sensed that letting Kyubi do whatever it wanted would be something that I would eventually regret, I cared little for future consequences. For once, I discarded whatever fake maturity, whatever level-headed train of thought I had and simply behaved without thinking. I acted on instinct. I rushed forward, my body feeling like it was controlled by something else but at the same time, my mind and body were in perfect harmony, all driven to one purpose: the death of my enemy.

I gathered the flames around me to my palm and then, with an almighty thrust, I slammed my way through Haku's mirrors. In an instant, with my new fire _jutsu _and my _Body Flicker_ _Jutsu_, I destroyed all the mirrors. With nowhere to hide, Haku appeared before me, three needles clutched in each hand. She flung them towards me but I simply charged through them. They were made from water and as soon as the needles hit me, they burst and steamed when they came into contact with my flames. I leapt above her and as she looked up, I brought my fist down with a giant sledgehammer blow. She leapt to the side, immediately countering with more needles.

As my right fist slammed into the ground, I caught all her needles with my left hand and then crushed them, as they turned to water and steamed from the heat. If she wanted to defeat me with water, she was going to need more than needles. I raised my eyes towards her, the flames still blazing away. She looked back at me, her face hidden by the mask but I sensed her fear. I sensed her emotions, her horror at my ruthlessness, her fear for the life of Zabuza, her master. However, she held no fear for her own life.

"Haku…you will die…" my voice said, like a growl.

"I can't die. Zabuza-sama is depending on me," she answered calmly.

"Forget him. Worry about yourself first," I said, as rushed forward, sending a fiery punch her way.

"I can not, Zabuza-sama is my life," she answered, as she dodged and leapt to the side, before landing and digging her feet into the ground. Then, she left forward, driving three needles towards me.

I drew a _kunai_¸ deflecting her needles and replied, "Why do you need to protect him so badly?"

"It's the reason why I fight: to protect."

For a spilt second, I stopped and contemplated her words. Right now, I was fighting her for the same reasons. She was protecting Zabuza, someone important to her for her own reasons. I was protecting Naruto because he was important to me for my own reasons. Despite the fact that he was annoying, loud, stupid…the list goes on…but nonetheless, I felt the need to protect him. Maybe I felt something akin to sibling-affection. Kyubi had never felt something like that and therefore; my past life did not really bring to light any reason for this. However, one thing was clear: I had to fight Haku because she was protecting someone but that involved harming someone I was protecting.

Then, that thought was all that was needed for me to go crazy. Kyubi pounced on the opportunity to do some damage and took my hate as a fuel to attack. Kyubi's _chakra_ enveloped my body, sending the flames in all directions. I absentmindedly formed hand-seals and used a _jutsu_ that I did not even know I had.

"_Flaming Fox Jutsu_!"

Just from the name, I could tell it was a result of Kyubi's doing. The flames enveloping my body formed a shape that was almost too familiar within my dreams: Kyubi, the Nine-tails. However, this fire-based _jutsu_ was significantly stronger than all of my other fire-based _jutsu_. The fox grew and engulfed the bridge, from one side to the other. It was fortunate that I was facing away from the others and also the mist dampened my _jutsu_, somewhat. Nonetheless, there was no way Haku could escape it unhurt. In desperation, she leapt over the side of the bridge, the flames blowing over her head as she fell towards the water. She formed hand-seals and then a pillar of water flew up to meet her, freezing on the way to provide a platform for her to stand on.

In a sudden fit of rage, I leapt over the side of the bridge after her. Letting loose a roar of anger, I brought my hands together, gathering _chakra_ and flames to it. Then, with one large thrust, I fell towards Haku like a meteor. With nowhere to run to but the rushing river below, she tried to counter with her own attack. After forming hand-seals, streams of water flew up to meet my attack. However, her attack was futile as I charged through, gravity and Kyubi's power helping me. As the water steamed against my attack, Haku looked up and then dodged. However, she was still affected by my attack, even if it was not a direct hit. However, as I hit her, the pillar she was standing on was destroyed and then we both fell towards the water. Once I hit the water, Kyubi's fire was quenched and my last view was one of Haku grabbing me in desperation and making her way to shore.

---

I strayed through shadows, lit by the occasional flicker of flames. As the world around me was clothed in shadows and barely more than a passing blur, I just walked on. However, a bright, red light appeared and I made my way to it, like a moth drawn to a bright light. Luckily, unlike the moth, I avoided the trap that was lying in wait. Just as two mighty claws came out to kill me, I stepped back, away from harm. I heard a roar of rage and the claws crashed against a cage that barred its way. A red _chakra_ flared violent but all was restrained behind a cage, even if some of the _chakra_ was seeping through, causing no direct harm.

I realised that I had come face to face to _Kyubi_, the demon that I had reborn from. I guess this was what is left of it. A pair of glaring, yellow eyes stared back at me, as the red _chakra_ flared and coiled around us both but doing little else.

"Kyubi, I presume?" I asked, at last, breaking the silence.

"Kyu…the boy whom that human forged out of my _chakra_…" a deep, powerful voice answered.

Forged out of _chakra_? Was that how I was…born? How could someone form a living being out of…well…what is _chakra_ made of…I had no idea. I always though it was some sort of energy within our bodies but it is more than that. Perhaps it is some kind of life force…

"Confused, little boy?" Kyubi asked, again.

"Yeah," I answered. "But that doesn't really matter at the moment…what the hell am I doing in here!"

Kyubi grinned, his teeth shown in a half-mischievous, half-evil fashion.

"I summoned your mind, when you lost consciousness."

"Really? For what purpose?"

"You've been using my _chakra_ more and more. I think its time we had a talk."

"Hey, you're living in _my_ body. I think its fair that you give something in return."

"Just because I'm a destructive, merciless demon doesn't mean that I'm necessarily selfish. Besides, there isn't anyway that I can stop you. All because of this stupid seal…"

With a growl of rage, Kyubi slammed the bars in front of him but achieved little more than less respect from me and a loud noise. Sighing, Kyubi turned back to me. I felt its eyes contemplate me, staring into me. I felt like he was reading my mind. Then, Kyubi grinned again, its _chakra_ flaring. For a demon, Kyubi lacks the violent nature that I would expect from such a being. However, thirteen years behind bars probably changed its violent ways.

"I have no problem with you using my _chakra_ but the one thing I hate is that my power is being wasted."

"Hey, if I didn't try to use it in whatever way I want, it would just be lying in my body, wasting away even more."

"True but you humans have almost no imagination anymore. With my power, you could a lot more than what you're accomplishing now. Also, you're the son of the one who sealed me. He was a powerful ninja; surely you would be fighting stronger than this…"

"Yeah, well…wait…he's my father? The Fourth?" I asked, confused. "I know he sealed you away and formed a baby out of the _chakra_ you emitted, from what I gather, but…"

"Stupid human, the _jutsu_ he used to seal me needs four requirements:

1. A large amount of _chakra_.

2. An offering of human blood.

3. A piece of human hair.

4. A portion of one's soul.

With those four things, a human body can be made, with the use of a certain _jutsu_. All four of those things were offered by the Fourth: your father."

"I'm guessing that's how I was made…"

"Correct. So you DO seem to have a brain."

"Shut-up." I guess I will talk to the Fourth about this later.

Since I was very little, I had always imagined what it would be like to talk with the Nine-tails, my former reincarnation. I always imagined that one of us would show more respect to the other: either more respect from me, because of Kyubi's awesome power or else Kyubi would be a bit more respecting, under the influence of a seal However, I find this Kyubi to be less strict than Third, when he lectured me or the Fourth, whenever I found a reason to disobey him. It was almost like…we were treating each other as equals.

"We ARE equals. Technically, you ARE me, just in a smaller and annoying form."

"What! How the hell did you read my mind?"

"I'm inside your body and your mind, you idiot."

"Shut-up, you over-sized fur ball!"

"Go home and drink milk, you disrespectful little cub!"

"Go clean your cage with your tails, you house-cat!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU COCKY LITTLE BRAT!"

After a rather pointless conversation in which neither of us won, Kyubi became serious.

"Alright, stupid brat…The reason you're here if because I can't stand the thought of a brat like you trying to use my power."

"Hey, it's MY power. This is MY body."

"Yeah, yeah…" the fox said, rolling its eyes. "Anyway, survive this battle and then we'll talk about the proper control of demonic powers."

With that, Kyubi and the cage began to fade away. Suddenly, I felt my eyes open, without even realising I had closed them, and I found myself lying on the bridge, near Sasuke. Naruto was standing over me, but then more clones were fighting Haku, a small distance away. He must be using Shadow Clones. Well, there is not way Haku would lose to Naruto. I had to get up and help him. Surprisingly, my body was not too badly hurt. I trust Kyubi had something to do with this and I turned towards Naruto and Haku.

Haku was using needles and not any _jutsu_, so I assumed she was too worn out and used up too much _chakra_. Also, I guess she was hurt from my attacks. Naruto was more or less fine, having rested a moment before fighting again. He should be able to survive against Haku for some time but it would not last. I guess I had to step in. I checked my body for damage and found that all my cuts and sores were more or less healed. If that Kyubi was emanating _chakra_ for me, I guess I heal fast.

I formed hand-seals to focus my _chakra_ and I used _Body Flicker_. I appeared behind Haku, before Naruto or she noticed me. I noticed her mask was off and her face was a feminine one that matched her voice. Well…I guess she really was a girl then. Whipping out a _kunai,_ I stabbed it into her. However, she dodged and the _kunai_ missed a vital area but still cut her body.

"Kyu!" Naruto yelled out, his eyes widening in shock. "I thought you were dead!"

"Really, now?" I replied. "Naruto, I won't die that easily. If I did, Haku and Zabuza would kill the rest of us. Didn't you make a promise to Iruka that you'll come back?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Not to mention the Fourth and the Third…"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Naruto, step back. I'll take it from here," I commanded, before turning to Haku, who was backing away, clutching her wound in pain.

"But…"

"Just do it!"

"Don't kill Haku, Kyu…he…I met him, two days ago, when I was training in the forest. He's a…good person," he said, as tears were forming in his eyes.

"Naruto…Haku attacked us and…wait…Haku is A GUY!" I exclaimed, turning back to Haku

"Ah…yeah…I am…" he replied.

"Damn…this world is strange…"

"I said that as well, when I first saw him. He was dressed in a girly kimono and everything."

"Haku…you're not…are you…"

"No, I'm not homosexual. I'm just feminine, I guess," he replied, somewhat uncomfortable. "But…Kyu-kun, why are chatting with me like this? Didn't you say you were going to kill me?"

"Haku, you said you fought to protect Zabuza, yeah?"

"That is correct."

"Well, I'm fighting to protect Naruto and the others. We're fighting for more or less the same reasons, the same beliefs."

"…" Haku's face was troubled.

"We shouldn't be fighting."

"But, Zabuza-sama…" he said, a look of confusion forming on his face.

"Haku, this is about what you believe in. Not Zabuza, not the Mist Village, you."

"…"

"If you really wanted to kill as much as Zabuza, Sasuke and Naruto would have been long dead."

Naruto and Haku glanced at each other. I did not know what they said to each other before but I sensed a lack of killer intent within Haku. He may be a genius and a strong ninja but his attacks lack enthusiasm, especially when he fought alongside Zabuza.

"…I…" Haku hesitated, lowering the needles in his hand slightly.

"Haku…" Naruto said.

"I…don't want to fight you…" Haku muttered at last, lowering his heedless completely. "Naruto-kun, Kyu-kun, please don't fight with me. I do not wish to harm you."

Naruto smiled, despite his injuries and relaxed. I nodded and turned my eyes towards the mist, which hid Zabuza and Kakashi. How were they faring?

Suddenly, I heard the faint barks of dogs and the sounds of teeth meeting flesh. Did Kakashi summon a pack of dogs? For what purpose?

_You really are a stupid brat…_

_Shut-up, you damn fox. Why don't you be a smartass and tell me why?_

_Dogs have a keen sense of smell,_ Kyubi replied.

Then, I realised why. With Zabuza's numerous attacks on Kakashi, he was bound to draw some blood. And by using that blood, Kakashi had something the dogs could use to catch Zabuza. Judging by the sounds I just heard, it seems Kakashi succeeded. Then, an even more prominent sound was heard, a sound that only Kakashi could make: the sound of _Chidori_. He called it _Raikiri_ but _Chidori_ is its real name. This was it. This was Kakashi's finishing attack. He will kill Zabuza now…

"HAKU! NO!" I heard Naruto shout.

I turned my eyes and saw a blur sweep past me. For a split second, I froze but then reacted and followed it, not enough time for me to form hand-seals to help myself use _Body Flicker_. Haku was not going to fight us but he was not going to let Kakashi kill Zabuza either. That stupid idiot…

I rushed forward as fast as I could, catching up to him. However, he was too far ahead. As he plunged into the mist, I followed him and soon, I saw it: Kakashi, with the blue lightning of _Chidori_ in his hand and Zabuza, trapped by several dogs. Haku rushed to get in between them. I gritted my teeth and put on more speed. Just as Haku reached in front of Kakashi, blocking Zabuza with his body, I reached Kakashi. I grabbed his arm, and flung myself in front of him, digging my feet into the ground, slowing him down. His eyes widened in shock, as his _sharingan_ was on the other side of his body and it was focused on Zabuza and Haku. Anyway, he was going too fast to stop.

However, I could not stop him, not completely. As my back hit Haku and Zabuza, Kakashi's arm plunged into me. I pushed back with all my might but it was no use. Kakashi's hand plunged into my stomach and then Kakashi stopped. Everything stopped. I felt nothing, for a moment. Then, it came. The pain. I did realised I was fall until I fell forward onto Kakashi's arm, as he pinned me to Haku and Zabuza. Blood was covering his hand: my blood. As even more blood seeped out of my mouth, my eyes slid close and I slowly lost consciousness. I heard Haku scream and Kakashi curse. I heard Naruto scream, as he rushed over to see what happened. I heard Mizu and Sakura frantically calling out, asking what happened. But none of us could answer, as my sight slowly faded. Then, before I was lost, I heard one final voice…

_You stupid brat…_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**New Beginnings:**

_You really are a stupid brat._

"Shut-up."

_Out of all the things you could've done, you had to go and get yourself killed._

"I didn't have much time to think about it."

_Even that idiot Fourth could've thought of something else besides rushing into it head on and taking the hits. _

"I SAID SHUT-UP!"

Once again, I was back within the dark chamber that housed Kyubi and its cage. As I sat before the demon, I looked around the room while I gathered my thoughts. The room was lit by a red light that emitted from Kyubi. It was a rather large chamber, as it had to be big enough to house Kyubi. However, there was little else besides the bars that held Kyubi securely. For some reason or other, I was sent to this place as soon as I lost consciousness.

"You're mind is here because I willed it," Kyubi answered.

"Stop reading my mind."

"I can't help it; I'm IN it after all…"

I sighed and looked up at what represented my past life.

"Are you going to tell me why you "willed" me to be here?"

"Alright, you stupid brat, it's time to teach you how to use my _chakra_ properly."

"Technically, it's OUR _chakra_, since we're supposed to be the same being."

"Well, I came first so it's my _chakra_ we have at the moment."

"You're dead so now it's MY _chakra_."

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT-UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Kyubi roared.

"Fine…" I replied, fading to a barely audible mutter.

"Alright, listen well, you brat," he began. "My _chakra_ is way beyond anything a human should have, which is why I was a born as a demon. If a human was meant to have my kind of power, nature would have made one, eventually. However, the fact that nature chose me to hold this kind of power means that it's something humans were never meant to have. However, you're alive and breathing right now so obviously, something's wrong. I'm going to teach you how to control that power, as well as teaching you about what you can do with it."

"Really?" I asked. "When we do we start?"

"Not now, you're _students_ are calling."

"Wha…?"

---

"Kyu-sensei!"

Yes, I will be right there…

"Kyu!"

Kakashi as well?

"Kyu-nii-chan!

…Naruto?

My eyes slid open, light flooding into my sight. I blinked a few times, until everything became clear. I saw Kakashi, Mizu, Naruto and…Haku! My eyes widened and I sat up.

"Ah!"

"You shouldn't get up so quickly!"

"You need rest!"

Immediately, several pairs of hands forced me back down again, making me realise how sore my body was.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"Nice to see at least your temper is still intact," Kakashi commented. "I'll let these guys explain while I got get the others."

With that, he disappeared into thin air and I felt his _chakra_ grow weaker, as it moved off into the distance. I glanced around to everyone's faces. Mizu's face was pale and obviously, she was worried. Well, I suppose that is understandable. Before I passed out, most of us were pretty heavily injured. Perhaps not as bad as me but since I had Kyubi backing me, I knew I would survive. Naruto, as soon as he realised I was going to live, set about risking my demise again by talking non-stop and generally annoying the hell out of me. I ignored him and turned to Haku, as he stood by the door, smiling as I looked at him.

"Nice to see you're alive," I said. "If we're alive, shouldn't you be dead?"

Haku simply smiled and replied, "We were betrayed by our employer, who arrived to…take care of things. Therefore, Zabuza-sama and I had a quick meeting where we arrived to the decision that we would kill our employer and ally ourselves with you guys instead."

"I…see…"

"Kyu, the fight was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "It was like four of us against one hundred! Haku, Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei were all really hurt and so was I but we fought anyway! Zabuza went crazy and killed twenty of them in a few seconds!"

"Really?" I sighed, inwardly. Naruto was overly excited again.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "Even better, the village rose up against them!"

Now THAT was interesting…so this village grew a backbone. Well I guess something good came out of these pointless battles. However, what were Haku and Zabuza planning to do now?

"Haku, what are you and Zabuza planning to do now?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"You can't stay here and you still have enemies out there," I said. "It's obvious, isn't it? You both are missing-nins; you can't possibly expect to live a peaceful life from now on."

"Well, about that…"

"…we have decided to join the Hidden Leaf."

I looked towards the window and saw Zabuza climbing through the window. I raised my eyebrows and flicked my head towards the door.

"What's wrong with just coming in the normal way?"

"It's too crowded there."

"Wha…?"

Suddenly, the door slammed open, with Yuki and Mika rushing through the door, followed by Sakura and a nonchalant Sasuke.

"KYU-SENSEI!"

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

With that, they lunged and enveloped me in a hug.

"We were so worried!"

"When you and Mizu returned, you were unconscious and we thought you were dead!"

"I will be…IF YOU GUYS DON'T LET GO!"

"Oh…"

"Sorry…"

I am glad to be alive and I am glad they were too. However, I had to admit, I found them rather irritating. As if Naruto was not bad enough, the Fourth just had to leave me with these three. I do not mind teaching them, I do not mind training them…but they seem to drain a lot of my energy, when I try to keep up with everything. I sound like I am older than them…

"Anyway, getting back to the point," I said. "Zabuza, what do you intend to do? Walk up to the village with that big sword on your back and ask for a place among the ninja?"

Zabuza chuckled and replied, "Of course not. Don't worry, little _jounin_. Kakashi and I will take care of it."

"Yeah, let the adults handle it. I realise that being under Ryu would make you think otherwise but adults can actually accomplish things," Kakashi said. "We're returning to Konoha tomorrow so use this time to rest. Naruto! Come out with me."

"Eh! But I want to talk to Kyu-nii-chan!"

"You'll see me plenty when we get back to Konoha!"

"Alright, alright…"

Kakashi, followed by his team, left along with Zabuza.

"Kyu, I would like to thank you for saving my life," Haku said.

I looked at him and nodded, "Don't worry about it…"

"You could have easily died, you know," he said. "I have some skill in terms of being a medic-nin and from what I know that attack SHOULD have killed you."

"Yeah, Kakashi's technique is quite deadly."

"This isn't time to joke about it!" Haku said, raising his voice. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you're alive."

"Hey, who exactly are you?" Yuki asked.

Haku and I started, forgetting that there were still people here. Mizu, Yuki and Mika stood back, looking back and forth between us. Why were they so curious? They fought with Haku, right? Therefore they should know who he is. Well, I guess they want to hear about the details of the battle. However, I was sure Naruto would have said something to them by now. Anyway, I looked at their gazes and they were curious about Haku. Granted, they had just met each other but still, they should not be staring at him like that. Granted, Haku may look weird and very feminine but…oh no.

"Hey, Haku-san?"

Maybe they…

"Just Haku would be fine…"

…think that…

"Oh, well, Haku, do you…?"

Haku and I…

"…yes?"

…

"Are you in love with Kyu-sensei?"

Haku choked and I put my hand on my forehead and sighed. Maybe I should have foreseen this. Apart from Zabuza, Kakashi, Naruto and I, none of us knew Haku was a guy. I had to admit, I find it quite hard to believe that Haku is actually male. Naruto's shock (and perhaps disappointment) was definitely apparent. I looked at those three and they were very confused at this reaction. Well, since they did not know Haku was male, it probably did seem that way. I saved Haku's life and he just thanked me for it.

"Mizu, Yuki, Mika, listen closely," I said.

"Yes?" Yuki answered.

"Haku…"

"Yeah?" Mika replied.

"…is…"

"Is what?" Mizu asked.

"…a guy," I finished.

Then, time seemed to freeze. No one said a word. Haku closed his eyes and braced himself. I looked into each of their faces. They were all shocked and frozen. Then, like as if they were building it up, they let loose.

"WHAT!"

---

_Kyu, concentrate on your _chakra.

I relaxed and called upon my _chakra_.

_Now, keep it flowing and focus on mine._

Keeping my concentration, I kept my original _chakra_ flowing through my body and called upon Kyubi's _chakra_.

_Try and merge them together as one stream._

I slowed the flow of my original _chakra_, and quickened Kyubi's one to match it. Then, as the speed of both slowly synchronised, I felt it occur. My body was changing. Fur sprouted along my body and my nails changed into claws. My canine teeth sharpened and grew longer. Kyubi's _chakra_ began to seep out and enveloped my body, like last time. However, this time, my own, blue _chakra_ was flowing along with it, keeping it quietly under control.

_Alright, good work. You've completed the first technique: calling upon the _chakra _and then keeping it under control._

Kyubi was training me to use the _chakra_. This was a few days after we had returned from the C-turned-A-rank mission. Today, Mizu and the others had a day off from missions and I used this opportunity to conduct my own training. First, I had to learn how to control it. No training or proper growth can be done unless I mastered that first. I relaxed my _chakra_, feeling both streams fade away. I reached into my mind to converse with Kyubi.

Now what?

_That will be all for now. It's not like we're in a hurry. Now that you can control it, you're body isn't in any danger from it and keep practising this exercise, until you can call upon more and more of my _chakra_ and still control it. _

Right, that makes sense. Well, I guess I should go drop in and speak to the Fourth now. He said he needed to see me.

_Whatever. _

---

As I made my way to the Fourth's office, I thought about what happened to Haku and Zabuza. Right now, they should be completing one of the missions that the Fourth assigned them to. Based on his decision and mine, they became part of the _Anbu_ and together, with Ryu and Minoko, formed a four-man team. Ryu immediately tried to hit on Haku, without realising he was a guy. Immediately, Zabuza made him reconsider his actions. Minoko was amused with the idea another person in _Anbu_ that was around my age. Right now, they were one of the most feared teams among Konoha.

I used _Body Flicker_ and appeared besides the Fourth in his office. He was alone for the moment and barely glanced up as I arrived. He simply held up a piece of scroll and I took it. Reading through it quickly, I digested the information. It was Ryu's latest report and their team had just successfully completed a mission with no casualties.

"They're doing well, aren't they?" the Fourth remarked.

"Yeah," I replied. "Still, I can't believe you allowed them to join Konoha so easily."

"Kyu, if you went so far to save one of them, I'm sure you trust them, right?"

"Well, yeah…Haku has no intention to undermine Konoha."

"Then, that's good enough for me. From what I've seen, this Zabuza will never hurt Haku so I guess it's safe to trust them."

"Hn…whatever…"

"Now, are you and your team ready for your next mission?"

"Yeah."

"Then, here it is."

I took the scroll he handed me and read it. Then, I read it again, just to make sure I read it correctly. Then, I looked back at his smiling face.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Kyu, I am."

"You want my team and me…to bring back Jiraiya, the Sannin?"


End file.
